©luatagicat  &tminzv% 

PRINCETON,  X.  ./. 

No.  Case,       /^f'on 

No.  Shelf,      s£box 
No.  Book,  Jj- 


The  John  M.  Krebs  Donatio,,. 


.y 


*  * 


THE 


PLENARY  INSPIRATION 


HOLY  SCRIPTURES. 


BY       ELEAZAR       LORD. 


NEW-YORK: 
M.     W.     DODD,     No.     506    BROADWAY. 

1857. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  185V,  by 

ELEAZAR    LORD, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the 
Southern  District  of  New-York. 


John  A.  Gray,  Printer  and  Stereotyper, 

16  &  18  Jacob  St.,  Fire-Proof  Buildings. 


TO 
THE     REV.     JOHN     C.     BRIGHAM,     D.D., 

Senior  Secretary  of  the  American  Bible  Society: 
My  Dear  Friend: 

I  inscribe  this  volume  to  you,  not  merely  as  a  token  of  personal 
esteem,  but  also  as  an  expression  of  the  regard  which  I  entertain  for 
your  services  in  the  official  station  which,  during  five-and-thhty  years, 
you  have  occupied,  in  devising  and  maturing  the  measures,  and  extend- 
ing and  guiding  the  operations  of  the  National  Society  for  publishing 
and  disseminating,  throughout  this  and  in  foreign  lands,  the  great 
charter  of  faith  and  life — the  Holy  "Word  of  God. 

It  is  now  about  twenty  years  sinco,  on  removing  from  the  city  to 
this  place,  I  ceased  to  act  as  one  of  the  Publishing  Committee  of  that 
noble  Institution.  Its  progress  in  the  interim — the  enlargement  of  its 
operations,  its  matured  and  conservative  character,  its  hold  on  the  con- 
fidence of  the  country  and  the  world,  its  relations  to  the  well-being,  to 
the  education,  the  principles,  the  thoughts,  the  words,  and  to  the  faith, 
the  conduct,  and  the  immortal  hopes  of  millions  of  the  past  and  tho 
passing  generation — how  intimately  has  your  position  connected  you 
with  all  this !  And  what  a  significance  of  purpose,  of  tendencies,  and 
of  results,  must  a  life  so  occupied  have  to  one  whose  intellectual  and 
moral  convictions,  faith  and  consciousness,  unite  in  the  irrefragable 
certainty  that  tho  Holy  Scriptures  are,  "  in  truth,  tho  "Word  of  God." 

I  would  not,  even  by  implication,  commit  you  to  any  errors  or  defects 
in  the  ensuing  pages.  It  suffices  me  to  know  that  you  hold  tho  plenary 
Divine  inspiration  of  tho  Bible  as  a  foundation  principle,  both  of  all 
effective  and  saving  faith  in  its  contents,  and  of  all  true  Christian 


IV 

efforts  to  disseminate  it,  as  well  as  of  the  obligation  of  every  one  who 
has  that  sacred  Book,  to  aid  in  furnishing  it  to  others,  and  of  their 
obligation  to  study  and  obey  it.  This  foundation  principle  is,  however, 
assailed  by  imposing  and  specious  objections.  How,  it  is  asked,  can 
the  Scriptures,  written,  as  they  are,  in  the  language,  styles,  and  idioms 
of  men,  be  properly  declared  to  be  the  iafallible  Word  of  God  ?  If  I 
have  done  any  thing  towards  a  satisfactory  solution  of  this  chief  diffi- 
culty, I  shall  not  doubt  of  your  agreeing  with  me  in  the  main  positions 
which  I  have  advanced,  as  well  as  in  the  cardinal  doctrine  which  I 
endeavor  to  defend,  whether  my  auxiliary  reasonings  and  illustrations 
do,  or  do  not,  in  all  respects  meet  your  approbation. 

"Wishing  you  yet  many  years  of  uninterrupted  service  in  your  wonted 
and  genial  post, 

I  am  faithfully  yours, 

E.  LORD. 
Piermont,  Rockland  Co.,  N.  T. 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


The  views  which  are  exhibited  in  the  ensuing  pages,  concerning 
the  nature  and  effect  of  Inspiration,  differ  widely  from  the  theories 
which  have  hitherto  prevailed.     It  is  shown,  or  at  least  attempted  to 
be  shown,  from  the  sacred  oracles,  and  from  the  constitution,  experi- 
ence and  consciousness  of  man,  that  language  is  exclusively  the  me- 
dium and  instrument  of  thought ;  that  the  conveyance  of  thoughts  from 
one  mind  to  another  necessarily  includes  a  vocal  utterance,  or  a  trans- 
fer, by  inspiration  or  otherwise,  of  the  words  which  express  them ; 
that  inspiration  is  affirmed,  not  of  the  sacred  writers  personally,  but  of 
what  they  wrote ;  that  we  think  in  words,  receive  the  thoughts  of 
others  in  their  words,  intellectually  conceive  thoughts,  are  conscious  of 
them,  remember  them,  and  express  them,  only  in  words  and  signs 
equivalent   to  vocal  articulations ;    and  that   words  intelligibly  and 
legitimately  used,  necessarily  and  perfectly  signify  and  express  tho 
thoughts  conceived  in  them :  and  it  is  therefore  argued,  that  the  inspir- 
ation of  the  Divine  thoughts  into  the  minds  of  the  sacred  writers 
necessarily  comprised  the  inspiration  of  the  words  by  which  they  were 
rendered  intelligently  conscious  of  the  thoughts  conveyed,  and  which 
they  wrote  as  they  received  them ;  that  on  this  ground,  that  which 
they  wrote  is  in  fact,  and  is  therefore  expressly  denominated  the  "Word 
of  God ;  and  that  what  they  wrote  was  inspired  in  the  language  of 
common  life,  and  in  the  style  and  idioms  of  the  respective  writers,  to 
the  end  that  they  and  their  unlearned  readers  might  correctly  under- 
stand it ;  and  that,  when  translated  into  the  like  phraseology  of  differ- 
ent nations,  it  might  be  level  to  the  capacity  and  within  the  compre- 
hension of  the  common  people. 
Pierjiont,  September^  1856. 


CONTENTS. 


■  ♦♦- 


CHAPTER  I. 
The  State  op  the  Question, 9 

CHAPTER  H. 
Preliminary  Observations, 13 

CHAPTER  m. 
The  Nature  op  Inspiration, 62 

CHAPTER  TV. 
Vocal  and  "Written  Language, 68 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Origin  op  Language, 69 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Nature  and  Reality  op  Inspiration,  illustrated  by 
Reference  to  the  Scriptures, 86 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Inspiration  op  the  "Words  of  Scripture  into  the  Minds 
op  the  Sacred  Penmen,  expressly  taught  by  Them — 
Their  Styles  and  Idioms — The  Personal  Teachings  op 
the  Great  Revealer, 95 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Words  necessarh^y  and  perfectly  express  the  Thoughts 
conceived  in  them, 135 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    IX. 
Nature  and  Office  of  Types, 170 

CHAPTER  X. 
Thoughts  remembered  only  in  Words,  ....  173 

CHAPTER  XL 
The  Figurative  Use  of  "Words,      .        .        .       .   "   .        .177 

CHAPTER  XH. 
False  Theory  concerning  Language — That  "Words  repre- 
sent Things  instead  of  Thoughts — Primary  Beliefs — 
Consciousness, 185 

CHAPTER  XLU. 
Practical  Bearings  of  the  Subject, 211 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  English  Version  of  the  Scriptures,      ....  235 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Concluding  Observations, 240 


CHAPTER    I. 

THE  STATE   OF  THE   QUESTION. 

No  question  concerning  Eevealed  Keligion  is  of 
higher  importance  in  itself,  or  in  its  bearings  at  the 
present  time,  than  that  which  immediately  respects  the 
plenary  Inspiration  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  What  is 
the  nature  of  that  Inspiration  by  which  the  Divine 
thoughts  are  so  conveyed  to  man  and  so  expressed  in 
human  language,  that  the  words  of  the  sacred  Text  are 
the  words  of  God  ?  This  is  the  question.  The  solu- 
tion of  it  requires,  as  well  with  respect  to  any  one  as 
to  any  other  portion  of  what  is  contained  in  the  In- 
spired volume,  such  an  exposition  of  the  nature  and 
effects  of  the  Inspiration,  as  shall  perfectly  reconcile 
the  fact,  that  the  words  as  inscribed  by  the  sacred  pen- 
men, are  the  words  of  God,  with  the  fact,  that  the  writ- 
ing consists  of  the  ordinary  language  in  the  peculiar 
style  and  idioms  of  the  respective  writers. 

That  faith  in  the  Divine  Inspiration,  authority,  and 
infallibility  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  is  connected 
with  eternal  life,  has,  from  age  to  age,  been  uniformly 
held,  by  the  heirs  of  salvation  ;  and  would  have  been 
in  like  manner,  and  as  firmly  held,  had  the  nature  and 


10  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

mode  of  Inspiration  never  been  subjected  to  anj  theo- 
logical or  philosophical  disquisition.  Of  that  faith  the 
Scriptures  themselves  supply  those  grounds  and  evi- 
dences which  Divinely  enlightened  minds  and  regene- 
rated hearts  perceive  and  embrace,  with  intuitive  and 
perfect  conviction.  Discussions  of  the  subject,  therefore, 
have  had  reference  chiefly  to  another  class — to  skep- 
tics, or  to  those  having  but  an  unsettled,  historical  or 
speculative  belief — to  present  to  their  view  such  rational 
considerations,  and  such  historical,  or  other  evidences, 
as  might  obviate  objections,  and  induce  conviction,  that 
the  Scriptures  were  inspired.  To  that  class  who  are 
supposed,  generally,  at  least,  to  admit  that  the  Scrip- 
tures contain  many  facts  and  doctrines  which  man  could 
not  discover,  and  which,  therefore,  must  have  been  re- 
vealed, and,  if  revealed,  must  have  been  inspired,  it 
has  been  deemed  to  be  of  great  importance  to  show 
what  is  the  nature,  mode,  and  extent  of  that  Inspira- 
tion which  is  affirmed  of  the  sacred  oracles.  This 
question  naturally  presented  itself  in  connection  with 
the  fact,  that  the  Scriptures  were  written  at  different 
periods  of  time,  by  men  of  different  countries,  and  of 
various  degrees  of  education  and  intelligence,  and  writ- 
ten in  the  peculiar  styles  of  the  different  writers. 
Moreover,  in  the  discussion  of  the  subject,  it  has  been 
taken  for  granted,  that  it  was  the  writers  personally, 
instead  of  that  which  they  wrote,  which  was  alleged  to 
be  inspired.  Hence,  as  their  writings  contained  some 
things  which  were  level  to  their  capacity,  and  within 
their  previous  knowledge,  and  other  things  which 
were  previously  unknown  and  above  their  capacity, 
different  kinds  and  degrees  of  Inspiration  have  been 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  11 

imagined,  as  being  most  likely  to  account  for  the  vari- 
ous contents  and  styles  of  the  sacred  Text. 

Thus,  an  inspiration  of  super intendency  has  been  sup- 
posed, whereby  the  minds  of  the  writers  were  pre- 
served from  error  in  recording  what  was  familiarly  known 
to  them,  or  within  the  scope  of  their  natural  faculties. 
Next  an  inspiration  of  elevation,  by  which  the  natural 
faculties  were  excited  and  invigorated ;  and  then  an 
inspiration  of  suggestion,  whereby  they  were  enabled  to 
conceive  of  things  which  were  previously  unknown, 
and  undiscoverable.  To  these,  indeed,  some  add  an 
inspiration  of  direction;  but  they  do  not  treat  of  it  as 
differing  essentially  from  superintendence.  See  Home, 
Doddridge,  Pye  Smith,  Dick,  Daniel  "Wilson,  Hender- 
son, Michaelis,  Grotius,  and  a  host  of  others  besides  the 
Kabbinical  doctors. 

It  is  not  necessary  at  present,  to  take  any  further 
notice  of  these  fancied  distinctions,  than  to  observe, 
that  they  have  not  been  shown  to  have  any  foundation 
in  the  Scriptures  themselves  ;  which  on  the  contrary, 
indicate  but  one  kind  and  degree  of  inspiration ;  and 
that  they  create,  but  do  not  remove  any  real  or  sup- 
posed difficulties.  The  distinction  made  by  some,  be- 
tween Inspiration  and  Kevelation,  is  irrelevant  and 
nugatory ;  since,  had  any  thing  been  revealed  which 
was  not  also  inspired,  who  could  determine  what  was 
inspired,  and  what  not?  If  the  whole  was  inspired, 
how  can  it  elucidate  the  nature  or  mode  of  inspiration 
to  treat  of  some  portions  of  the  matter  as  superna- 
tural ly  revealed,  and  of  other  portions  as  within  the 
previous  knowledge  of  the  writers  ?  But  so  far  as  wc 
know,  or  can  infer  from  the  Scriptures  themselves, 


12  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

every  distinct  Kevelation  was  expressed  in  words ;  and 
all  the  words  of  Scripture  were  inspired  into  the  minds 
of  the  writers. 

In  general,  and  especially  wherever  rationalistic  cri- 
ticism and  philosophical  idealism  and  pantheism  are 
dominant,  the  utmost  vagueness  of  language,  confusion 
of  thought,  and  inconsistency  of  doctrine,  are  exhibited 
concerning  the  nature,  reality,  extent,  and  results  of 
Inspiration.  Those  generally  who  have  discussed  the 
subject,  seem  to  have  directed  their  attention  to  the 
objections  which  they  felt  called  upon  to  meet,  or  to 
the  preconceived  theories  which  they  desired  to  sup- 
port, rather  than  to  the  nature  and  the  inherent  and 
necessary  demands  and  implications  of  the  subject  it- 
self. 

Such,  then,  briefly,  is  the  state  of  the  question,  as 
exhibited  in  the  principal  publications  relating  to  it, 
both  in  this  and  other  countries.  Some,  indeed,  as 
Gausen,  Haldane,  and  Carson,  maintain  the  plenary 
inspiration,  and  consequent  binding  authority  of  the 
entire  volume  of  canonical  Scriptures,  on  the  ground 
of  their  own  testimony,  that  "  all  Scripture  is  given  by 
inspiration  of  God ;"  but  they  do  not  so  discuss  the 
nature  and  mode  of  inspiration  as  satisfactorily  to  obvi- 
ate the  distinctions  above  referred  to.  There  is,  there- 
fore, occasion  for  a  further  elucidation  of  the  subject. 
It  needs  to  be  shown  that  the  nature  and  mode  of  in- 
spiration were  such  as  to  preclude  variety  of  kinds  and 
degrees,  and  establish  the  conclusion  that  every  portion 
of  the  original  text  was  alike  inspired,  and  is,  therefore, 
with  strict  propriety,  denominated  the  Word  of  God, 
and  the  infallible  and  only  rule  of  faith  and  life. 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  13 


CHAPTER    II. 

PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

With  the  inspired  volume  of  Scripture  in  our  hands, 
we  are  in  a  condition  to  judge  what  was  necessary  in 
the  case  of  a  Divine  Revelation,  bj  what  has  actually 
been  communicated.  Were  we  without  a  knowledge 
of  that  volume,  we  should  be  utterly  incapable  of  con- 
ceiving, as  the  wisest  of  the  heathen  from  age  to  age 
have  shown  themselves  to  be,  of  any  one  of  its  essen- 
tial truths  concerning  the  perfections  and  government 
of  the  Creator,  the  invisible  world,  the  moral  relations 
and  duties  of  man,  his  condition  as  a  sinner,  the  method 
of  salvation,  or  the  retributions  of  eternity  ;  and  equal- 
ly incompetent  to  discover  the  way  in  which  such  truths 
might  be  revealed.  But  with  the  Scriptures  in  our 
possession,  we  are  made  aware  of  the  vehicle  of  Reve- 
lation— human  language,  the  ordinary  fixed  and  per- 
manent language  of  common  life ;  and  of  the  instru- 
ments employed  in  communicating  the  divine  thoughts 
in  that  language — holy  men  selected  and  qualified  for 
the  purpose.  With  these  two  preliminaries  we  are  also 
made  aware  of  what  the  Divine  Wisdom  deemed  it  pro- 
per to  include  in  the  volume  which  was  to  be  the  infal- 


14  THE  PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

lible  rule  of  faith  and  life — a  point  which  none  but  the 
Omniscient  Being  could  possibly  determine.  And  we 
find  the  contents  as  varied  as  the  phenomena  of  human 
experience  are  on  the  one  hand,  and  as  the  superhuman 
existences,  facts,  and  relations  of  the  invisible  world  are 
on  the  other.  To  the  extent  perhaps  of  two  thirds  of 
the  entire  contents  of  the  volume,  the  original  text 
consists  of  words  which  had  been  audibly  spoken  by 
the  Revealer  to  the  writers.  Intimately  collocated  and 
intermingled  with  these  are  passages  of  several  distinct 
classes  :  1.  Passages-  consisting  of  words  which  are  de- 
clared to  have  been  spoken  by  good  men,  by  angels,  by 
bad  men,  and  by  Satan.  With  respect  to  these,  whe- 
ther truthful  and  correct  in  sentiment  or  otherwise,  it 
is  the  fact  only  of  their  having  been  spoken,  that  is 
authenticated  by  their  insertion  in  the  sacred  books. 
2.  Historical  and  biographical  narratives,  in  which 
actual  events,  acts,  and  sayings,  whether  good  or  bad, 
are  recorded,  and  thereby  the  reality  of  their  occur- 
rence is  certified.  3.  "Whatever  of  poetry  or  prose 
was  inspired  without  the  previous  or  coincident  occur- 
rence of  vocal  utterance. 

These  varied  contents  conclusively  manifest  what  it 
was  necessary  to  include  in  a  revelation  from  God  to 
man,  and  in  what  relations  the  facts  and  doctrines  of 
Scripture  should  be  communicated  to  him ;  while  the 
vehicle  employed,  the  language  of  his  ordinary  life, 
implies  that  his  constitution,  mental  and  physical,  was 
perfectly  adapted  to  that  mode  of  receiving  divine  in- 
struction. With  these  considerations,  and  the  facts 
and  doctrines  of  the  actual  revelation  in  view,  we  may 
safely  assert,  as  what  with  the  same  knowledge  would 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  15 

be  felt  grior  to  an  actual  revelation,  and  as  preliminary 
to  an  inquiry  into  the  nature  and  mode  of  inspiration  : 

1.  That  a  revelation  of  the  mind  and  will  of  God  was 
a  natural  and  first  necessity  to  man. 

2.  That  the  requisite  matter  of  revelation,  compris- 
ing supernatural  truths  in  their  due  relations  to  the  facts 
of  human  experience  and  consciousness,  faith  and  life, 
could  not,  in  any  degree,  be  discovered  by  man. 

8.  That  the  vehicle  employed  in  a  revelation  must 
be  such  as  infallibly  to  convey  the  Divine  thoughts 
to  men ;  and  that  human  language,  therefore,  in  its 
ordinary  use  and  acceptation  is  perfectly  adapted  to 
that  office :  for  otherwise,  in  a  case  of  such  infinite 
concern,  some  other  means  would  have  been  employed. 

4.  That  the  manner  of  conveying  to  men  the  thoughts 
of  the  Divine  Mind,  in  words,  according  to  their  cur- 
rent and  familiar  signification,  must  of  necessity  be 
like  that  of  conveying  in  words  the  thoughts  of  one 
man  to  the  mind  of  another :  that  is,  in  accordance 
with  man's  mental  and  physical  constitution,  and  his 
mode  of  conceiving  and  expressing  his  own  thoughts 
in  words.  A  Divine  revelation  expressed  in  words, 
must  be  conveyed  to  the  minds  of  the  writers  in  a  way 
agreeable  to  the  laws  of  their  minds  in  order  to  their 
understanding  and  intelligibly  writing  what  was  re- 
vealed. 

5.  That  in  every  particular  the  contents  of  a  revela- 
tion, the  mode  of  communicating  them,  and  the  times, 
circumstances,  and  connections  in  which  they  should 
be  committed  to  writing,  must  be  determined  exclu- 
sively by  the  llevcaler  himself. 

6.  That   as  the  supernatural   doctrines  and   facts, 


16  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

which  in  their  due  connection  with  the  history,  agency, 
and  character  of  man,  would  constitute  the  Scriptures, 
were  confessedly  undiscoverable  by  men,  or  by  any  cre- 
ated beings,  and,  therefore,  must  be  from  God,  their 
own  testimony  as  to  their  authorship  and  authenticity 
would  be  entitled  to  be  implicitly  relied  on.  Those 
facts  and  doctrines  would  be  as  conclusive  evidence  of 
their  Divine  original,  as  the  visible  works  of  creation 
and  Providence  are  of  the  existence  of  a  creator  and 
ruler  of  the  world, 

7.  That  a  Divine  revelation  would  exhibit  this  evi- 
dence in  the  successive  portions  of  the  whole  ;  and  by 
their  correlation  in  respect  to  covenants,  promises,  and 
predictions,  and  their  fulfillments,  and  by  the  superna- 
tural facts  and  doctrines  common  to  the  several  parts, 
the  evidence  would  establish  the  claims  alike  of  all  the 
parts  as  inseparable,  involved  in  each  other,  and  consti- 
tuting one  consistent  and  perfected  work. 

8.  That  He  who  created  man,  knew  beforehand  that 
a  revelation  expressed  in  words,  and  written,  would  be 
indispensable,  and  He  therefore  gave  to  man  a  consti- 
tution and  faculties  perfectly  adapted  to  his  reception 
of  such  a  Revelation.  Hence  He  said  to  Moses :  "  Who 
hath  made  man's  mouth  ?  or  who  maketh  the  dumb, 
or  deaf,  or  the  seeing,  or  the  blind  ?  Have  not  I,  Je- 
hovah? Now,  therefore,  go,  and  I  will  be  with  thy 
mouth,  and  teach  thee  what  thou  shalt  say." 

9.  That  every  portion  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  must 
have  been  given  by  Inspiration  of  God,  for  the  same 
reasons  that  any  part  or  portion  was  so  given — that  is, 
for  reasons  founded  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  the  ob- 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  17 

jects  of  an  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  life,  and  the 
incompetency  of  man. 

10.  That  the  nature  and  mode  of  Inspiration  must, 
therefore,  be  such  as  to  constitute  what  is  written,  the 
infallible  word  of  God ;  the  narratives  and  facts  of 
ordinary  human  experience,  equally  with  the  original 
Eevelations  ;  the  historical,  equally  with  the  doctrinal ; 
the  figurative,  equally  with  the  literal  passages ;  and 
those  most  strikingly  characterized  as  of  the  style  and 
idiom  of  the  writers,  equally  with  all  other  passages. 

11.  Tbat  all  the  contents  of  a  volume  so  provided, 
must  be  consistent  and  harmonious  throughout ;  so 
that  to  suppose  the  contrary,  would  be  as  absurd  a  con- 
tradiction as  to  say  that  the  laws  of  Nature  are  not  uni- 
versal, because  man  has  not  discovered  their  applica- 
tion to  all  the  phenomena  of  Nature. 

12.  That  the  objections  of  skeptics  and  errorists,  to 
particular  narratives,  illustrations,  styles,  and  idioms 
of  Scripture,  betray  the  same  depravity  and  ignorance, 
which  lead  them  to  reject  the  peculiar  doctrines  re- 
vealed immediately  from  God  in  words  of  His  own 
selection. 

From  the  stand  point  afforded  by  these  considera- 
tions, we  may  apprehend  the  nature  of  that  Inspira- 
tion which  is  affirmed  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

It  is  obviously  necessary  to  any  useful  discussion  of 
this  subject  that  what  is  meant  by  inspiration  should 
be  clearly  understood.  In  the  present  discussion  that 
term  is  employed  strictly  in  the  sense  hereafter  to  be 
more  fully  illustrated,  as  a  Divine  act  by  which 
thoughts  were  conveyed  to  the  minds  of  the  sacred 
writers.     This,  as  is  properly  signified  by  the  term 


18  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

itself,  and  is  plainly  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  is  held  to 
be  its  true  and  only  meaning,  to  the  exclusion  not  only 
of  all  theories  of  different  kinds  and  degrees  of  Divine 
inspiration,  but  also  of  the  prevalent  notion  that  inspi- 
ration was  an  influence  exerted  on  the  faculties  of  the 
prophets  elevating,  superintending,  and  guiding  them. 
According  to  this  view,  that  which  the  Prophets  and 
Apostles  wrote  was  "  given,"  imparted,  conveyed  to 
them  by  inspiration,  in  distinction  from  their  capacity 
of  discernment  or  comprehension  being  increased  so  as 
to  enable  them  to  discover  the  things  to  be  written ; 
and  being  so  given,  it  was  both  congruous  and  neces- 
sary that  it  should  be  conveyed  in  words  and  idioms 
familiar  to  those  who  received  it,  level  to  their  capacity, 
adapted  to  their  intellectual  habits,  and  their  personal 
circumstances,  that  in  the  natural  exercise  of  their 
faculties,  they  might  comprehend  and  duly  commit  it 
to  writing.  It  is  the  effect  of  the  act  of  Inspiration 
that  we  are  to  consider,  not  the  mode  in  which  the 
Divine  efficiency  was  exerted.  And  in  whatever  mode 
the  Divine  agency  was  exerted,  the  effect  produced  by 
it  was  the  reception  and  intelligent  consciousness  on 
the  part  of  the  writers,  of  the  truths  to  be  committed 
to  writing,  and  in  the  styles,  idioms,  and  collocations 
in  which  they  were  to  be  incribed  in  alphabetic 
characters.  /Subjectively,  the  writers  received  these 
communications,  without  any  option,  volition,  or  action 
on  their  part.  Actively,  they  exercised  their  natural 
faculties,  voluntarily  and  intelligently,  in  committing 
to  writing  what  they  were  conscious  of  having  received 
by  inspiration.  Their  subjective  relation  in  receiving 
by  inspiration  what  they  were  to  write,  and  as  they 


OF   THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  19 

were  to  write  it,  was  the  same  as  in  hearing  what  was 
audibly  spoken  to  be  vocally  repeated  by  them.  In 
the  one  case  they  uttered,  as  they  were  often  expressly 
commanded  to  do,  the  very  words  which  they  heard ; 
in  the  other,  they  wrote  what  they  internally  heard, 
received,  became  conscious  of  by  inspiration.  In  the 
one  case  their  voluntary  agency  was  exerted  only  in 
speaking ;  in  the  other  only  in  writing.  There  ap- 
pears to  be  no  ground  to  suppose  that  their  natural 
faculties  were  in  any  degree  interfered  with  in  either 
case ;  or  that  they  were  any  otherwise  affected  or  ex- 
ercised than  if  the  words  which  they  wrote  had  been 
spoken  to  them  by  one  of  their  fellow-men. 

By  the  terms  Nature  and  mode  of  Inspiration,  a  re- 
ference is  not  intended  to  the  manner  of  the  Divine 
act,  or  the  mode  in  which  the  Divine  agency  was  ex- 
erted, in  the  act  of  inspiring  thoughts  into  the  minds  of 
the  sacred  writers.  That  is  wholly  inscrutable  to  us. 
As  in  respect  to  the  Divine  act  which  regenerates  the 
soul,  we  know  not  how  it  is  exerted,  but  that  it  is  ex- 
erted, we  know  by  the  effects  produced  ;  so  in  respect 
to  Inspiration,  the  mode  of  the  Divine  agency  is  not 
known,  but  the  fact  of  its  being  exerted  is  known  by 
the  effect  produced,  namely,  the  conveyance  of  thoughts 
to  the  intelligent  consciousness  of  the  sacred  writers ; 
and  the  question  is,  Whether  the  inspiring  act  con- 
veyed the  thoughts  in  the  words  which  were  to  be 
written,  or  without  words  ?  If  with  the  words,  then 
the  prophet  would  be  conscious  of  the  words  and 
thoughts  together,  as  in  case  of  thoughts  audibly  ex- 
pressed to  him  in  words.  He  would  conceive  and 
comprehend  the  thoughts  in  those  words,  ns  he  con- 


20  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

ceives  of  and  comprehends  all  other  thoughts  in  words  ; 
would  be  able,  therefore,  to  commit  those  words  to  writ- 
ing ;  and  when  written,  as  when  received  by  inspira- 
tion, they  would  be  infallibly  the  words  of  God.  But 
if  the  thoughts  were  inspired  without  words,  then  the 
prophet  could  not  be  conscious  of  them  in  the  natural 
and  ordinary  way  as  in  other  instances  of  receiving 
thoughts ;  since  men  are  not  conscious  of  uninspired 
thoughts  apart  from  words.  It  is  according  to  man's 
constitution,  a  law  of  his  mind,  that  he  should  be  con- 
scious of  thoughts  only  as  he  is  conscious  of  the  words 
which  express  them  ;  a  further  Divine  act,  an  act  sus- 
pending that  law,  would  therefore  be  necessary,  by 
which  he  should  be  made  conscious  of  inspired  thoughts 
without  words  ;  and  still  a  further  Divine  act  infallibly 
guiding  him  to  the  choice  of  the  proper  words. 

Such  several  and  distinct  acts  are  not  to  be  supposed, 
without  evidence,  of  which  there  is  none  within  our 
reach.  For  the  effect  of  Inspiration  as  made  known 
to  us,  was  the  reception  by  the  sacred  writers  of  the 
inspired  thoughts  ;  Inspiration  being  a  Divine  act  by 
which  thoughts  are  breathed — transmitted — conveyed 
to  the  intelligent  consciousness  of  those  who  were  to 
write  them  in  words.  There  is  no  apparent  reason 
why  the  inspiring  act  should  not  convey  the  thoughts 
in  the  words  in  which  they  were  to  be  written,  so 
that  the  recipient  should  be  conscious  at  once  of  the 
thoughts  in  the  words  which  it  behooved  him  to  write. 
And  that  such  was  the  effect  of  the  Divine  act  of  In- 
spiration, is  evident  from  a  variety  of  considerations. 

1.  It  was  that  which  is  called  the  Scriptures — the 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  21 

writings,  the  words  which  were  written  by  the  Sacred 
Penmen,  that  was  given  by  inspiration.    (2  Tim.  3  :  16.) 

2.  The  words  as  written  were  the  infallible  words  of 
God ;  which  implies  that  they  were  conveyed  by  Him 
to  the  writers  with  the  thoughts,  so  that  they  could  in- 
telligently conceive  the  thoughts  in  the  words,  and 
commit  them  to  writing.  To  suppose  them  after  re- 
ceiving the  thoughts  by  inspiration,  to  select  the  words 
under  the  guidance  of  a  Divine  influence,  is  to  suppose 
a  joint  agency  in  the  selection ;  in  which  case  the 
words  would  not  be  exclusively  the  words  of  God. 

3.  The  necessity  of  an  inspiration  of  the  words  to  be 
written,  must  have  been  as  absolute  as  that  of  an  in- 
spiration of  the  thoughts  to  be  expressed  in  writing  ; 
at  least,  in  innumerable  instances — such  as  those  in 
which  words  previously  unknown  to  the  writer  were 
required,  and  those  in  predictions  which  required  typi- 
cal, figurative,  or  symbolic  representations.  So  in 
very  numerous  instances  where  words  are  written 
which  are  said  to  have  been  spoken  at  times  and  places 
at  which  the  writers  were  not  present ;  and  cases  like 
that  of  the  prophecy  of  Enoch  recorded  by  the  Apostle 
Jude.  In  all  such  cases  it  would  seem  to  be  indubit- 
able that  the  words  must  have  been  inspired. 

4.  Though  Inspiration  was  an  immediate  super- 
natural work  of  God  ;  it  is  abundantly  evident  that  it 
did  not  suspend  or  counteract  any  law,  function,  or 
faculty  of  the  human  mind.  The  Prophets  and  Apos- 
tles when  vocally  uttering  what  they  were  at  the  same 
time  receiving  by  inspiration,  had  the  ordinary  use  of 
all  their  faculties ;  and  equally  so  when  uttering  the 
same  in  alphabetic  characters. 


22  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

5.  In  all  other  instances  thoughts  conveyed  from  one 
mind  to  another  are  conveyed  in  words,  or  signs  equiv- 
alent to  vocal  articulations  ;  and  there  does  not  appear 
to  be  any  thing  in  the  nature  of  the  case  to  justify  the 
supposition  that  the  conveyance  of  thoughts  by  inspir- 
ation is  an  exception  to  the  general  rule. 

6.  It  is  inconceivable  that  thoughts  should  be  con- 
veyed into  the  mind  of  man  by  inspiration  without 
words,  so  that  he  could  conceive  them  without  words, 
and  select  words  whereby  to  express  them,  unless  the 
act  of  Inspiration  suspended  the  natural  exercise  of  his 
faculties  of  conception  and  consciousness,  and  caused  a 
supernatural  consciousness,  and  power  of  conception, 
which  would  be  incompatible  with  the  necessary  exer- 
cise of  those  and  other  faculties  in  the  selection  of 
words.  For  in  the  natural  exercise  of  his  powers  he 
can  neither  conceive  nor  be  conscious  of  thoughts  apart 
from  words ;  and  any  Divine  guidance  of  him  as  a  ra- 
tional agent  in  the  selection  of  words,  must  be  a 
guidance  of  the  natural  and  rational  exercise  of  his 
faculties. 

If  it  is  a  law  of  our  nature  that  we  can  intellectually 
conceive  thoughts  and  receive  thoughts  from  others,  so 
as  to  be  conscious  of  and  remember  them  only  in 
words,  then  we  may  with  confidence  conclude,  that  both 
thoughts  and  words  were  conveyed  by  inspiration  ;  and 
this  accordingly  is,  in  various  ways,  taught  and  implied 
in  every  part  of  the  Scriptures.  To  those  of  the  Apos- 
tles who  were  disciples  and  heard  the  words  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  it  was  promised,  that  in  the  exercise  of 
their  peculiar  office,  the  Spirit  should  bring  to  their  re- 
membrance whatever  he  had  said  unto  them — that  is, 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  23 

should  inspire  into  their  minds — render  them  renew- 
edl  y  conscious  of  the  same  words  which  they  had  heard 
spoken,  or  of  the  same  thoughts  in  equivalent  words. 
Paul  who,  not  having  been  a  disciple,  had  not  heard 
those  words,  was  caught  up  to  Paradise  to  receive  reve- 
lations of  the  Gospel  directly  from  the  Lord.  It  was 
the  peculiarity  of  their  office  that,  in  the  exercise  of  it, 
they  spoke  and  wrote  only  what  was  given  them  by 
inspiration.  The  things  which  they  were  to  testify 
were  communicated  to  them  by  inspiration  ;  and  they 
testified  them  not  in  words  of  their  own  selection,  but 
in  the  words  which  the  Holy  Ghost  taught  them. 
(1  Cor.  2.)  When  accused  and  brought  before  magis- 
trates, they  were  expressly  forbidden  to  premeditate 
what  they  should  say.  "  Take  no  thought  beforehand 
what  ye  shall  speak,  neither  do  ye  premeditate ;  but 
whatsoever  shall  be  given  you  in  that  hour  [more 
strictly,  in  that  moment]  that  speak  ye  ;  for  it  is  not  ye 
that  speak,  but  the  Holy  Ghost."  (Mark  13.)  "  Take  ye 
no  thought  how  or  what  thing  ye  shall  answer,  or  what 
ye  shall  say :  For  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  teach  you  in 
the  same  hour  [moment]  what  ye  ought  to  say."  (Luke 
12.)  In  these  and  all  other  statements  and  allusions  to 
the  subject,  the  supposition  that  those  who  received  Di- 
vine communications  by  inspiration,  had  any  agency  in 
selecting  the  words  to  express  those  communications, 
is  precluded.  The  Holy  Ghost  spake  by  them,  by 
David  and  the  prophets,  as  His  instruments.  His  word 
was  on  their  tongues.  The  Divine  act  of  Inspiration 
did  not  contravene  or  disturb  the  exercise  of  their 
natural  faculties  or  the  laws  which  governed  them,  but 
was  in  harmony  with  them.     They  acted  rationally 


24  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

and  voluntarily  in  speaking  the  inspired  words,  and  in 
"writing  them. 

If  the  reader  doubts  as  to  the  alleged  law  of  man's 
nature,  and  imagines  that  he  receives,  conceives,  is  con- 
scious of  and  remembers  thoughts  independently  of 
words,  let  him  prove  it  by  telling  vocally  or  by 
writing  what  those  thoughts  are.  It  is  a  matter 
for  his  consciousness  to  decide ;  not  a  matter  to 
be  proved  to  him  by  argument.  If  he  has  a  dis- 
tinct consciousness  of  thinking  or  having  thoughts 
upon  any  subject  whatever,  otherwise,  in  fact  or 
degree,  than  as  he  is  conscious  of  conceiving  those 
thoughts  in  words — conceiving  particular  words  as  the 
vesture,  vehicle,  instrument,  adjunct,  necessary  matrix 
or  condition,  of  the  thoughts — conceiving  the  thoughts 
and  words  together — conceiving  and  being  conscious 
of  the  thoughts,  in  manner  and  degree,  only  as  he  con- 
ceives and  is  conscious  of  that  which  signifies  them, 
and  which,  whether  silently  articulated  or  expressed 
by  vocal  utterance,  or  by  written  characters,  we  call 
words  ;  then  may  he  demur  and  hesitate  as  to  whether 
the  law  in  question  is  a  law  of  our  nature.  But  in  that 
case,  since  it  is  indubitable  that,  as  a  general  rule,  we 
conceive  and  are  conscious  of  our  thoughts  in  words, 
he  ought  to  be  able  to  specify  what  thoughts  he  has, 
that  are  not  subject  to  that  rule.  And  that,  no  doubt, 
he  will  be  able  to  do  if  he  has  a  distinct  consciousness 
of  them.  And  he  will  be  able  to  tell  whether  he  con- 
ceives those  particular  excepted  thoughts  in  that  or- 
derly succession  which  is  necessary  to  constitute  intelli- 
gible sentences,  or  whether  he  conceives  them  without 
that  condition,  and  determines  the  succession  by  the 


OF  THE   HOLY   SClUFfURES.  25 

collocation  of  the  words  which  he  selects  as  the  means 
of  expressing  them  in  sentences,  propositions,  deduc- 
tions, questions,  affirmations,  and  the  like. 

If  the  reader  can  not  discern  to  his  own  entire  satis- 
faction, whether  or  not  he  does,  or  by  possibility  can, 
think  independently  of  words,  he  nevertheless  may 
readily  perceive  that,  as  to  the  general  rule,  he  does 
not.  lie  may  perceive  this  in  all  instances  in  which 
he  is  distinctly  conscious  of  particular  thoughts,  and 
therefore,  so  far  as  he  has  the  clear  testimony  of  con- 
sciousness, he  may  conclude  that  such  is  the  general 
rule. 

It  may  not  be  possible  to  demonstrate  that  we  think 
only  in  words  and  in  signs  equivalent  to  words;  while 
on  the  contrary  it  is  undoubtedly  impossible  to  prove 
that  we  do,  or  can,  think  independently  of  words,  for 
we  have  no  consciousness  of  thinking,  except  in  words. 
But,  considering  the  importance  of  the  question,  Whe- 
ther it  is  a  law  of  our  intellectual  constitution,  that 
every  cogitative  act  includes,  as  its  medium  and  instru- 
ment, the  words  which  express  the  thoughts  conceived? 
some  farther  observations  may  be  permitted  on  this 
point. 

The  particular  words  employed  in  the  construction 
of  sentences,  and  all  that  concerns  the  arrangement  of 
them,  and  their  relations,  imply  that  wc  conceive  the 
thoughts  in  those  words  in  the  orderly  succession  in 
which  they  are  disposed.  Thus  the  qualifying  words, 
the  particles,  the  parenthetical  and  elliptical  expressions, 
the  comparisons,  the  interrogatories,  hyperboles,  affirm- 
ations, negations,  and  all  other  modifications  of  cxprcs- 


26  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

sion  in  sentences,  imply  that  the  words  are  not  selected 
and  arranged  after  the  thoughts  are  conceived. 

The  thought  conveyed  in  a  perfect  sentence,  is  that 
thought  only  as  it  is  defined,  limited,  qualified,  by  the 
particular  words  employed  and  collocated  as  they  are 
when  the  sentence  is  written  To  conceive  the  thought, 
therefore,  is  to  conceive  all  that  constitutes  it  a  thought 
as  expressed  in  writing.  To  conceive  it  without  words 
would  in  effect  be  the  same  as  to  conceive  it  in  words 
duly  arranged  as  when  written.  As  conceived  with- 
out words  it  must,  in  order  to  express  it,  be  written  in 
the  same  words  that  it  would  be  written  in,  were  it 
conceived  in  words.  Accordingly  we  are  no  sooner 
conscious  of  the  thoughts  than  we  are  conscious  of  the 
words.  There  is,  therefore,  nothing  gained  by  suppos- 
ing that  we  do,  or  can,  think  without  words.  The  in- 
ference from  such  a  supposition  would  be,  at  most,  only 
that  we  first  conceive  our  thoughts  independently  of 
words,  and  that  being  to  no  practical  purpose,  then  se- 
lect the  verbal  expressions,  and  conceive  the  same 
thoughts  in  words,  to  the  end  that  we  may  be  conscious 
of  them,  remember  them,  and  express  them  to  others. 

But  such  a  supposition  is  incredible,  since  there  can 
be  no  conceivable  relation  between  words,  and  thoughts 
conceived  independently  of  words  ;  so  that  it  would  be 
impossible  without  omniscience  or  a  miracle,  to  select 
words  proper  for  thoughts  which  we  were  not  conscious 
of,  and  could  not  be  conscious  of  without  the  words. 

The  difficulty  might  be  illustrated  by  referring  to 
sentences  characterized  by  ellipses,  parentheses,  a  tro- 
pical or  deflected  use  of  words,  types,  allegories,  para- 
bles, symbolic  acts,  qualifying  words  and  particles.     It 


OF  THE  HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  27 

is,  at  least  of  all  cultivated  languages,  a  feature  due  to 
the  inconceivable  rapidity  of  thought,  that  in  proportion 
as  they  are  cultivated  and  expressive,  they  exhibit  the 
fewest  possible  words  for  the  expression  of  particular 
thoughts,  omitting  such  as  the  scope  of  the  sentence 
would  naturally  supply  without  injury  to  the  thought 
to  be  expressed ;  and  inserting  such  parenthetically  as, 
in  the  connection,  would  serve  the  purpose  of  an  inde- 
pendent sentence,  or  of  extended  circumlocutions  in  the 
text.  This  feature  of  spoken  and  written  language  is 
as  noticeable  in  tongues  which  are  most  affluent  of 
words,  as  in  those  which  are  least  so.  For  in  the  most 
copious  there  are  no  words  which  do  not  express  par- 
ticular thoughts,  or  shades  of  thought,  and  for  which 
those  who  are  masters  of  them  have  not  thoughts  to  be 
expressed ;  and  in  those  tongues  which  have  fewer 
words,  the  thoughts  of  those  who  use  them  are  equally 
restricted.  In  either  case  the  rapidity  of  thought  may 
be  equal,  and  equally  give  rise  to  ellipses  and  parenthe- 
ses, tropes,  emblems,  and  other  illustrative  or  modify- 
ing expressions. 

But  did  we  conceive  thoughts  independently  of 
words,  and  then  by  a  more  slow  and  deliberate,  or  at 
least  by  a  distinct  process  select  the  words  to  be  spoken 
or  written,  several  things,  in  addition  to  such  concep- 
tions, would  naturally  be  implied.  1.  It  would  be  ne- 
cessary to  establish  a  relation  between  our  words  and 
our  thoughts,  so  as  to  render  one  the  exact  counter- 
part and  correlate  of  the  other.  2.  It  would  be  ne 
oessary  in  every  sentence  to  decide,  whether  in  order 
to  a  perfect  expression  of  the  thought,  any  ellipsis,  pa- 
renthesis, trope,  comparison,  qualifying  term,  negative 


28  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

or  affirmative,  definite  or  indefinite  particle,  was  de- 
manded and  admissible.  This  would  require  that  all  the 
words  of  a  sentence  should  be  mentally  reviewed,  the 
force  of  each,  its  relations  to  the  others,  and  to  the 
thought  to  be  conveyed  by  the  sentence,  carefully  con- 
sidered, along  with  the  question,  whether  the  intro- 
duction or  the  omission  of  any  qualifying  words  or 
phrases,  or  any  change  of  words,  or  of  the  arrangement 
of  them,  would  help  or  mar  the  sense.  The  process  of 
selecting  and  adjusting  the  words  of  a  sentence,  so  as 
correctly  to  express  a  particular  thought,  would  be  like 
attempting  to  translate  a  sentence,  written  in  our  native 
tongue,  into  a  language  foreign  to  us,  with  no  other 
guide  or  assistance  than  that  of  a  dictionary;  or  it 
would  be  like  an  attempt  so  to  arrange  arithmetical 
figures  as  to  express  unknown  and  indefinite  quantities. 
For  if  thoughts  exist  independently  of  words,  and 
there  is  no  normal  and  necessary  connection  and  rela- 
tion between  them,  they  must  be,  in  regard  to  any 
manner  of  expressing  them,  wholly  indefinite.  There 
is  no  fixed  rule  by  which  to  tell  what  they  are,  no  cor- 
relate, no  standard  by  which  to  measure  them.  And 
if  words  have  each  a  definite  meaning,  the  selection  and 
adjustment  of  them  so  as  to  express  particular  thoughts, 
with  which  they  have  previously  no  connection,  must  be 
like  that  of  determining  unknown  and  indefinite  quan- 
tities and  proportions  by  an  adjustment  of  the  figures 
of  arithmetic^  or  like  selecting  and  adjusting  sounds  so 
as  to  constitute  to  the  ear  the  melody  of  an  unknown 
tune.  For  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that,  if  we  in  any 
manner  conceive  or  have  thoughts  independently  of 
words,  we  are  not  conscious  of  them ;  and  while  we 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  29 

are  not  conscious  of  them,  a  conscious  selection  of 
words  whereby  to  express  them,  must  be  a  selection  to 
express  what  is  unknown  to  us. 

To  say,  on  supposition  that  we  think  independently 
of  words,  that  there  is,  nevertheless,  and  must  be,  a  re- 
lation and  connection  of  our  words  when  selected,  with 
our  thoughts  as  we  conceive  them,  is  to  give  up  the 
point  in  debate.  For  either  that  connection  is  coeval 
with  the  thoughts  or  is  of  subsequent  and  artificial  ori- 
gin. If  coeval,  then  the  conception  of  the  thoughts 
and  the  words  is  identical.  ,  If  not  coeval,  and  founded 
in  the  very  nature  of  thought  and  language,  then  the 
connection  supposed  is  not  a  necessary  connection — 
neither  necessary  to  the  existence  of  the  thoughts,  nor 
the  cause  of  our  being  conscious  of  and  remembering 
them. 

That  consciousness  of  thoughts  in  words  which  we 
have  when  we  conceive  particular  thoughts,  is  renewed 
— reproduced — by  the  act  which  we  call  recollecting  or 
remembering.  It  is  that  which  we  were  formerly  con- 
scious of  that  we  remember ;  and  that  includes  the 
words  as  invariably  and  as  perfectly  as  it  includes  the 
thoughts  remembered — which  implies  that  the  two  are 
connected,  not  by  an  artificial,  casual,  or  uncertain  re- 
lation, but  inherently  and  indissolubly,  as  necessary 
correlates  and  concomitants.  Our  experience  and  con- 
sciousness of  agreeable  or  of  painful  sensations  and 
emotions,  may  have  a  present  connection  with  our 
thoughts ;  but  when  we  recollect  those  agreeable  or 
painful  affections,  the  original  sensations  are  not  repro- 
duced, but  only  a  consciousness  of  the  words  and  the 
thoughts,  which  they  originally  occasioned.     The  joy 


30  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

and  the  pain  are  not  renewed  as  sensations  or  emotions, 
but  only  our  original  thoughts  of  them,  and  the  words 
which  signified  them.  But  invariably,  in  remembering 
our  past  thoughts,  we  remember  the  words  which  were 
identified  with  them. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  as  corroborating  the  fact  that 
we  think  only  in  words,  not  only  that  in  dreams  as  re- 
collected, there  is  a  distinct  remembrance  of  the  words 
in  which  successive  thoughts  passed  through  the  mind, 
as  of  words  spoken  by  the  dreamer,  or  words  spoken 
by  others  to  him ;  but  that,  in  the  case  of  persons  who, 
from  total  deafness,  converse  by  signs  made  with  the 
fingers  or  otherwise,  they  dream  of  persons  conversing 
with  them,  conveying  thoughts  to  them,  not  by  vocal 
utterances,  but  only  by  exhibiting  the  signs  which 
were  of  familiar  use  to  them.  Those  signs  are  to  them, 
as  the  medium  and  instrument  of  thought,  what  words 
are  to  those  who  are  exempt  from  deafness.  Such  per- 
sons do  not  dream  of  hearing  sounds ;  and  those  who 
lose  their  sight,  and  are  long  blind,  do  not  dream  of 
visible  objects.  Particular  instances,  illustrating  facts 
like  these,  are  given  by  writers  on  intellectual  philo- 
sophy. Dr.  Gregory,  as  quoted  by  Abercrombie,  men- 
tions that  thoughts  which  sometimes  occurred  to  him 
in  dreams,  and  even  the  particular  expressions  in  which 
they  were  conveyed,  appeared  to  him  afterward,  when 
awake,  so  just  in  point  of  reasoning  and  illustration, 
and  so  good  in  point  of  language,  that  he  has  used  them 
in  his  college  lectures  and  in  his  writings.  Another 
instance  is  that  of  a  lawyer,  to  whom  a  very  perplexing 
case  was  made  clear  in  a  dream,  during  which  he  rose 
from  his  bed,  and  having  a  desk  at  hand,  wrote  out 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  31 

the  solution  at  length.  On  awaking  he  remembered 
the  dream,  but  had  no  recollection  that  he  had  written 
it,  till  he  discovered  the  manuscript  in  his  desk.  Facts 
of  this  nature  go  far  to  demonstrate  practically,  that  in 
all  distinct  thoughts  and  trains  of  thought,  words  are 
the  coincident  medium  and  vehicle. 

To  satisfy  the  demands  of  this  discussion,  however, 
that  we  do  not  think  independently  of  words,  is  suffi- 
ciently manifest  from  the  consideration,  that  we  re- 
member our  thoughts  only  in  the  words  in  which  we 
conceive  them ;  and  that  in  those  words  we  shall  con- 
tinue to  remember  them  while  memory  lasts,  both  in 
the  present  and  in  the  future  life.  Our  entire  respon- 
sibility as  moral  agents  seems  to  require  this.  It  is 
essential  to  our  consciousness  of  personal  identity,  and 
to  the  process  and  the  issues  of  the  final  judgment,  and 
hence  the  bearing  of  this  view  of  language — of  concep- 
tion in  the  mind,  and  reception  from  without,  of 
thoughts  in  words,  and  of  the  consciousness  and  me- 
mory of  them  only  in  words — on  the  state  of  the  soul 
of  each  individual,  as  to  his  consciousness  of  guilt  or 
the  contrary  in  the  present  life,  and  after  death,  is  highly 
significant  For  if  thoughts  can  be  remembered  only 
in  words,  if  a  recollection  of  the  words  necessarily  re- 
calls the  thoughts,  so  that  the  mind  is  unavoidably 
conscious  of  them,  and  if  an  entire  oblivion,  or  non-re- 
collection of  the  words  precludes  a  renewed  conscious- 
ness of  the  thoughts  which  had  been  conceived  and  en- 
shrined in  them,  then  the  phenomena  of  which  we  are 
conscious  with  respect  to  our  past  experience,  thoughts, 
words,  acts,  feelings,  and  consciousness  of  guilt,  or  the 
contrary,  in  connection  with  them,  are  accounted  for. 


32  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

We  are  conscious  of  our  past  states  of  mind,  whether 
good  or  evil,  only  as  we  remember  the  words  in  which 
we  thought  of  them  when  they  occurred  ;  and  there- 
fore we  are  conscious  of  the  sinfulness  of  past  acts,  feel- 
ings, and  emotions,  no  farther  than  they  are  distinctly 
recalled  in  the  words  in  which  we  think  of  them. 

Hence  when  a  sinner  is  awakened  to  perceive  the 
corruption  and  wickedness  of  his  heart,  and  the  sinful- 
ness of  all  his  thoughts,  feelings,  and  actions,  his  me- 
mory is  quickened  to  recall  his  former  experience,  and 
especially  the  most  corrupt  and  flagrant,  though  long- 
forgotten  instances  of  his  conduct.  So  when  regener- 
ated, and  during  the  ensuing  conflict  to  the  close  of 
life,  he  is  conscious  of  the  states  of  mind  which  have 
transpired,  of  the  evil  acts,  thoughts,  and  affections  on 
the  one  hand,  and  of  the  holy  and  obedient  ones  on 
the  other,  only  as  they  are  recalled  to  memory  in  words. 

Such  being  the  law  of  our  minds,  and  such  our  ex- 
perience in  the  present  life,  the  Scriptures  very  clearly 
forewarn  us,  that  such,  by  the  permanence  of  that  law, 
will  be  the  experience  of  men  after  death.  In  the 
righteous  there  will  be  such  oblivion  of  the  transgres- 
sions of  their  former  lives,  as  is  implied  in  their  being 
blotted  out,  and  as  will  consist  with  their  perfect  and  un- 
interrupted bliss.  They  will  realize  in  their  experience 
that  He,  to  whom  their  guilt  was  imputed,  had  done  a 
perfect  work,  and  made  them  in  respect  to  the  law 
which  they  had  transgressed,  and  to  their  consciousness 
of  guilt,  as  though  they  had  never  sinned.  The  un- 
righteous, on  the  other  hand,  with  their  memories  freed 
from  all  obstructions,  and  quickened  to  the  utmost, 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  33 

will  forever  be  conscious  of  all  their  evil  thoughts, 
words,  and  agencies. 

With  respect  to  the  particular  subject  of  the  present 
inquiry,  that  of  the  conveyance  by  Inspiration  of 
thoughts,  in  and  by  means  of  words,  to  the  minds  of  the 
sacred  writers,  let  it  be  observed :  that  thoughts  con 
vcyed  from  one  human  mind  to  another,  are  invariably 
conveyed  in  words,  or  signs  equivalent  to  articulate 
utterances  ;  and  they  are  received,  comprehended,  and 
rendered  matter  of  consciousness,  only  so  far  as  the 
words  or  signs  are  consciously  recognized  and  under- 
stood. The  same  is  true  of  all  the  communications 
from  angelic  beings  to  men,  of  which  we  have  any  re- 
cord; and  likewise  of  those  from  Satan.  In  what 
ways  he  can  affect  the  feelings  and  emotions  of  men,  is 
another  question.  But  when  he  conveys  any  distinct 
thoughts  to  the  human  mind,  he  does  it,  so  far  as  we 
know,  only  in  words  and  their  equivalents.  Thus  by 
means  of  words  he  conveyed  his  thoughts  to  Eve ;  and 
so  to  the  false  prophets.  And  there  seems  to  be  no 
room  for  a  question,  but  that  in  all  the  thoughts  re- 
ceived from  those  beings,  and  equally  in  all  the  thoughts 
conveyed  by  man  to  them,  or  conceived  respecting 
them,  words  are  the  invariable  medium.  Such  is  the 
constitution  of  things — such  the  law  of  man's  nature. 

It  is  thus  plain  and  palpable,  that  man  in  the  ordi- 
nary exercise  of  all  his  intellectual  and  rational  facul- . 
ties,  can  and  does  receive  thoughts  from  other  created 
intelligences,  in  and  by  means  of  words.  Does  not  this 
law  obtain  likewise  in  respect  to  the  thoughts  conveyed 
by  inspiration  from  God?  That  it  does,  is  the  only 
conclusion  which  the  facts  and  analogies  known  to  us 
2* 


34  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

can  justify.  There  is  no  known  fact  or  apparent  reason 
to  justify  a  contrary  supposition.  Since  the  thoughts 
of  one  created  intelligence  can  be  conveyed  to  another 
by  means  of  words,  it  is  certain  that  the  thoughts 
of  the  Infinite  Intelligence  may  be  so  conveyed  ;  and 
since  the  conveyance  of  thoughts  in  words  from  one 
man  to  another  does  not  infringe,  but  is  in  harmony 
with  the  laws  of  his  intelligent  nature,  it  is  plain  that 
the  conveyance  of  the  Divine  thoughts  in  words  by  in- 
spiration, may  be  in  harmony  with  those  laws. 

All  intellectual  conceptions  include  the  words,  or 
equivalent  signs,  by  which  they  are  intelligibly  ex- 
pressed ;  and  they  are  necessarily  expressed  in  the 
words  or  signs  in  which  they  are  conceived.  To  sup- 
pose that  they  can  be  vocally  expressed  in  any  other 
than  the  words  in  which  he  who  expresses  conceives 
them,  is  as  absurd  as  to  suppose  that  he  can  convey 
them  by  writing  words  which  have  a  different  and  con- 
trary meaning;  and  to  say  that  he  can  think  them 
without  words,  is  no  less  absurd  than  to  say  that  he 
can  express  them  in  writing  without  writing  words. 
Sensations  and  emotions,  in  so  far  as  they  occur  and 
exist  independently  of  words,  occur  and  exist  indepen- 
dently of  thought.  But  whatever  the  subjects  of 
thought  may  be,  whether  physical  or  intellectual,  geo- 
metrical figures  or  arithmetical  proportions,  facts  or 
fictions,  history  or  biography,  moral  precepts  or  reli- 
gious doctrines,  there  are  no  distinct  thoughts  of  them 
of  which  men  are  conscious,  except  in  words,  and  words 
which  when  spoken  or  written  express  them  to  others. 

Words,  vocally  articulated,  or  silently  conceived  and 
realized  to  the  consciousness,  are  conditions,  vehicles, 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  35 

instruments  of  thought  Without  them  there  is  no 
consciousness  of  thought  Uttering  them  is  thinking 
nloud.  A  knowledge  of  words,  or  of  signs  equivalent 
in  significance  to  words,  is  a  condition  precedent  to  the 
exercise  of  the  power  of  thinking.  Hence  the  necessity 
of  teaching  the  meaning  of  words  and  signs  to  children. 
They  first  learn  the  meaning  of  signs,  gestures,  ex- 
pressive looks ;  next  that  of  sounds,  vocal  articulations, 
particular  words,  exclamations,  interrogations,  com- 
mands, phrases,  sentences.  These  being  associated  with 
the  thoughts  which  they  are  employed  to  convey,  they 
remember.  By  recalling  and  reasoning  from  these 
they  learn  to  think.  The  more  their  knowledge  of 
words  is  extended,  the  more  they  are  enabled  to  exer- 
cise the  power  of  thinking. 

Our  consciousness  and  experience  wholly  forbid  the 
supposition  that  the  choice  of  words  succeeds  instead 
of  being  identical  with  the  conception  of  thought.  We 
have  no  consciousness  of  thought  separately  from 
words,  or  independently  of  them.  We  receive  no 
thoughts  by  means  of  the  vocal  articulations,  or  the 
writings  of  others,  except  in  words  of  which  we  pre- 
viously understand  the  meaning.  And  if  our  con- 
sciousness is  to  be  relied  on,  we  no  more,  after  intel- 
lectually conceiving  a  thought,  select  the  word  or  words 
in  which  we  become  conscious  of  it,  than  after  receiv- 
ing the  thoughts  of  another  person  by  hearing  his  voice, 
or  reading  what  he  has  written,  we  select  the  words  in 
which  we  become  conscious  of  the  thoughts  so  received. 
We  therefore  conclude  that  without  a  proper  miracle, 
the  Divine  thoughts  conveyed  into  the  minds  of  the 
prophets  by  inspiration,  were  of  necessity  conveyed  in 


36  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

the  very  words  which  they  wrote ;  that  they  were  con- 
scious of  those  thoughts  in  those  words,  and  that  they 
no  more  selected  those  words  than  their  readers  select 
the  words  in  which  they  receive  the  thoughts  which 
are  expressed  in  Scripture. 

It  may  be  worth  the  further  observation  that,  viewed 
in  another  light,  the  sujjposition  that  thoughts  without 
words  were  inspired  into  the  minds  of  the  sacred 
writers,  and  that  the  task  of  selecting  the  words  they 
were  to  write  to  express  those  thoughts,  was  left  to 
them,  is  in  the  last  degree  preposterous  and  incredible. 
For  from  the  nature  of  the  inspired  thoughts,  the  rev- 
elations, doctrines,  precepts,  promises,  threatenings, 
predictions,  covenants,  the  selection  of  words  to  express 
the  exact  meaning  and  shade  of  meaning  intended  to  be 
conveyed,  would  as  truly  require  omniscience  as  an 
original  conception  of  the  thoughts  themselves  without 
any  Divine  inspiration.  No  conceivable  amount  of 
guidance,  short  of  a  proper  miracle,  could  supersede 
this  difficulty.  For,  to  say  nothing  of  the  necessity  of 
a  miracle  to  render  them  conscious  of  the  thoughts 
without  words,  it  is  obvious  that  such  a  consciousness 
could  be  no  guide  to  them  in  the  choice  of  words.  Be- 
ing exclusive  of  words,  it  could  have  no  relation  to 
them.  They  would  be  left  to  invent  or  to  appropriate 
words  without  any  rule  to  govern  or  assist  them,  to  ex- 
press meanings  upon  which  the  hopes  and  destinies  of 
men  were  to  be  suspended. 

That  they  could  not  possibly  have  had  a  clearer  con- 
ception of  the  thoughts  without  words  than  with,  must 
be  allowed,  or  we  must  conclude  that  in  the  words 
selected  their  conceptions  are  but  imperfectly  conveyed. 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  37 

But  suppose  them  to  have  had  as  clear  conceptions  as 
their  words  convey,  since  their  conceptions  and  their 
consciousness  of  the  thoughts  were  exclusive  of  words, 
what  but  omniscience  could  enable  them  to  select  such 
words  as  should  infallibly  convey  precisely  those  con- 
ceptions to  their  uninspired  fellow-men  ?  Suppose 
even  that  the  thoughts  as  conceived  by  them  without 
words,  were  conceived  in  the  same  orderly,  grammati- 
cal succession  which  marks  the  exhibition  of  them  in 
the  written  Scriptures ;  that  their  non-verbal  concep- 
tions included  the  necessary  distinctions  of  modes  and 
tenses,  interrogatories,  exclamations,  questions  and 
answers,  quotations  and  parentheses,  figures  and  sym- 
bols, what,  short  of  omniscience,  could  enable  them  to 
meet  the  verbal  demands  of  such  conceptions,  to  select 
such  words  in  such  relations  to  each  other,  as  infallibly 
and  perfectly  to  convey  the  thoughts  conceived  ?  Is 
it  not  apparent  that  the  slightest  imperfection,  either  in 
the  choice  or  in  the  collocation  of  the  words,  might  be 
fatal  to  the  record  as  a  rule  of  life  ;  and  that  the  writers 
could  give  no  evidence  or  assurance  that  the  concep- 
tions conveyed  by  their  words  were  precisely  the  same 
with  those  which  they  had  been  conscious  of  without 
words  ? 

The  case  is  wholly  different  when  once  the  inspired 
thoughts  have  been  committed  to  writing;  for  the 
words  actually  employed  confessedly  express  all  that 
is  pretended  to  have  been  revealed  and  inspired.  The 
thoughts  are  conceived  by  the  reader,  in  the  words, 
and  according  to  his  knowledge  and  understanding  of 
the  words.  The  words  are  the  medium  of  the  thong]  1 1  s, 
and  when  the  thoughts  are  perfectly  conceived  in  the 


38  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

words,  lie  who  so  conceives  them  can  express  them  in 
other  words  which  he  perfectly  understands,  whether 
in  his  native  or  in  a  foreign  tongue.  He  has  a  rule  to 
govern  him  which  is  as  adequate  to  the  case  as  any 
law  of  his  intellectual  nature.  He  is  conscious  of  the 
coincidence  and  identity  of  the  thoughts  and  words. 

The  Divine  act  of  inspiration,  as  is  intended  to  be 
shown  hereafter,  was  not  proj)erly  miraculous.  It  did 
not  suspend  or  counteract  any  law  of  the  human  mind. 
But,  according  to  the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  mind, 
the  conveyance  of  thoughts  from  one  man  to  another 
necessarily  requires  the  conveyance  of  the  words  by 
which  the  thoughts  are  expressed.  If,  therefore,  the 
act  of  inspiration  was  not  a  miracle,  the  insj)ired 
thoughts  must  have  been  conveyed  in  the  words  which 
express  them. 

If  the  act  of  inspiration  were  a  miracle,  suspending 
that  law  of  the  mind  by  which  we  conceive,  receive 
from  others,  are  conscious  of,  and  remember  thoughts 
only  in  words — and  conveying  thoughts  without  words, 
then,  as  no  man  in  the  natural  exercise  of  his  faculties 
is  either  conscious  of  or  remembers  thoughts  apart  from 
words,  we  must  conclude  that  the  sacred  writers  were 
not  intelligently  conscious  of  the  thoughts  which  were 
conveyed  to  their  minds  by  inspiration,  or  that  their 
consciousness  of  them,  independently  of  words,  was 
miraculous.  If  they  had  no  consciousness  of  the  in- 
spired thoughts,  then,  of  course,  their  agency  could  not 
have  been  exercised  in  the  selection  of  words  expressive 
of  them.  If  their  consciousness  of  them  was  miracu- 
lous, then  the  natural  exercise  of  their  faculties  was 
superseded,  and  could  not  have  been  employed  in  a 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  39 

selection  of  words.  The  selection,  like  the  conscious- 
ness, must  have  been  supernatural — miraculous ;  not 
the  effect  of  human,  but  of  Divine  agency.  Nothing, 
therefore,  is  gained  by  such  a  supposition,  nor  was 
there  any  occasion  for  any  such  miracle.  The  natural 
and  ordinary  way  of  conveying  thoughts  from  one 
mind  to  another,  is  by  means  of  words.  If  men  can 
convey  their  thoughts  to  each  other  by  the  instrumen- 
tality of  words,  what  can  possibly  hinder  the  Divine 
Being  from  conveying  his  thoughts  to  man  by  the  same 
means?  Suffice  it,  at  present,  to  add  that  it  is  not 
more  indubitably  certain  that  the  Scriptures  contain 
revelations  from  God,  than  that  they  were  verbally  ex- 
pressed and  conveyed  in  the  words  which  were  written 
to  express  them.  Such,  manifestly,  was  the  case  with 
all  those  portions  of  Scripture  which  are  expressly  de- 
clared to  have  been  audibly  spoken  to  the  sacred 
Writers  by  the  Divine  Revealer.  That  the  other  por- 
tions were  inspired  into  the  minds  of  the  writers  in  the 
words  which  they  wrote,  will,  it  is  presumed,  be  ren- 
dered evident  in  the  ensuing  pages. 

This  view  obviates  the  principal  objections  which 
embarrass  the  prevalent  theories.  According  to  these 
theories  there  is  a  difficulty,  not  hitherto  surmounted, 
as  to  how  or  on  what  infallible  ground  the  words  of 
the  sacred  Text  are,  in  the  Scriptures  themselves,  de- 
clared to  be  the  words  of  God.  If  they  were  selected 
by  men — if  man's  agency  was  in  any  degree  exerted  in 
their  selection,  how  are  they  the  exclusive  and  infalli- 
ble words  of  God  ?  It  is  not  a  conclusive  or  satisfac- 
tory answer  to  this  question  to  say  that  they  were  in- 
fallibly guided.     For  supposing  them  to  have  been  so 


40  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

guided,  if  the  act  of  selecting  the  words  was  their  act, 
then  the  words  selected  were  their  words.  Moreover, 
where  do  the  Scriptures  teach  us,  or  give  so  much  as  a 
hint  concerning  any  such  guidance,  or  any  act  or  pro- 
cess by  which  words  of  man's  selection  ceased  to  be 
his  and  were  adopted  or  constituted  to  be  the  words  of 
God? 

No  theory  upon  the  subject  can  be  conclusive  and 
satisfactory  which  does  not  exhibit  as  the  effect  of  in- 
spiration, infallibility  in  thought  and  language.  This 
result  may  indeed  seem  to  be  attained,  by  saying  that 
the  sacred  penmen  were  guided  both  in  thought  and 
language  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  so  as  to  be  in  such  a  sense 
His  organs,  that  what  they  said  He  said.  This  would 
indeed  express  substantially  the  result  which  the  case 
requires ;  and  if  they  were  so  guided,  the  production  of 
the  result  would  seem  to  be  accounted  for.  But  where 
is  the  proof  of  any  such  guidance  of  the  human  facul- 
ties in  the  conception  of  the  necessary  thoughts,  and  in 
the  selection  of  the  necessary  words  ?  Is  there  any 
scriptural  proof  of  it — or  any  semblance  of  proof  other 
than  that  of  an  inference  from  the  supposed  necessity 
of  the  case  ?  The  passages,  John  16  :  13,  "  The  Spirit 
will  guide,  you  into  all  truth,"  and  14 :  26,  "  He  shall 
bring  all  tilings  to  your  remembrance"  need  only  to  be 
read  with  the  context  to  show  that  they  express  no 
proof  of  the  point  in  question ;  but  on  the  contrary, 
that  the  guidance  promised  was  not  to  enable  them  to 
discover  truth,  or  to  select  words,  but  to  insure  their 
being  taught  by  having  all  things  brought  to  their  re- 
membrance, which  Christ  had  spoken,  and  their  recep- 
tion of  all  truth  which  should  be  spoken  and  shown  to 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  41 

them  by  the  Spirit.  Thus  :  "  The  Holy  Ghost  whom 
the  Father  will  send  in  my  name,  He  shall  teach  you 
all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to  your  remembrance, 
whatsoever  I  have  said  unto  you."  "When  He,  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  is  come,  He  will  guide  you  into  all 
truth:  for  He  shall  not  speak  of  Himself;  but  whatso- 
ever He  shall  hear,  that  shall  He  speak ;  and  He  will  show 
you  things  to  come.  He  shall  glorify  Me :  for  He  shall 
receive  of  Mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you.  All 
things  that  the  Father  hath  are  Mine :  therefore  said  I, 
that  He  shall  take  of  Mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you." 
These  Scriptures  plainly  show,  that  all  that  the  Apostles 
were  to  know,  speak,  and  write  as  the  word  of  God, 
was  to  be  conveyed — inspired — into  their  minds  by  the 
Spirit  in  the  words  previously  spoken  by  Christ,  and 
recalled  to  their  remembrance  by  the  aid  of  Inspiration, 
and  the  words  to  be  spoken — inspired — conveyed  into 
their  minds  by  the  Spirit,  as  the  words  of  God  which 
He,  the  Spirit,  was  commissioned  to  take,  receive,  and 
speak  of  the  things  of  Christ.  The  selection  of  what 
was  to  be  spoken  by  the  Spirit  is  expressly  referred  to 
Him.  An  infallible  guidance  to  the  selection,  either  of 
thoughts  or  words,  can  be  supposed  only  on  the  as- 
sumption that  Inspiration  is  affirmed  of  the  sacred 
writers  personally,  instead  of  being  affirmed  solely  of 
what  they  wrote.  No  two  things  can  be  more  distinct 
and  different  from  each  other  than  these  two,  and  no- 
thing can  be  more  evident  from  the  Scriptures  them- 
selves, than  that  it  was  what  the  sacred  penmen  wrote 
that  was  inspired  into  their  minds.  And  if  they  were 
indebted  to  inspiration  for  the  thoughts  which  were  to 
be  expressed  in  writing,  the  fact  that  the  written  words 


42  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

are  the  words  of  God,  is  not  a  premise  from  which  it 
follows  that  they  were  infallibly  guided,  in  the  exercise 
of  their  faculties,  to  the  selection  of  the  words,  or  that 
they  exercised  their  faculties  at  all  in  the  selection,  in- 
stead of  being  wholly  indebted  to  inspiration  for  the 
words  as  well  as  for  the  thoughts. 

Concerning  the  notion  so  generally  prevalent,  that 
the  effect  of  inspiration  was  an  effect  on  the  intellectual 
faculties  of  the  sacred  writers,  instead  of  being  the  con- 
veyance of  thoughts  into  their  minds,  some  further  ob- 
servations may  be  permitted  in  this  place.  And  first, 
it  is  confidently  averred  that  the  Scriptures  themselves 
afford  no  indication  whatever  that  there  was  more  than 
one  kind  or  degree  of  inspiration  ;  and  second,  that  no 
conceivable  influence  on  the  finite  natural  faculties  of 
man  could  enable  him  to  discover  and  originate  the 
conception  of  the  leading  truths  of  revelation.  Those 
truths  must  undoubtedly  have  been  communicated  to 
him  from  the  Infinite  Intelligence,  in  order  to  his 
conceiving,  or  attaining  any  conception  of  them.  Hence 
the  Apostle's  argument  touching  the  counsels  and  pur- 
poses of  God,  which  man  never  did  nor  could  discover, 
that  "  God  hath  revealed  them  unto  us  by  his  Spirit ;" 
and  his  illustration :  u  For  what  man  knoweth  the 
things  of  a  man,  save  the  spirit  of  man  which  is  in  him  ? 
even  so  the  things  of  God  knoweth  no  man,  but  the 
Spirit  of  God."  To  which  he  adds,  that  those  other- 
wise inscrutable  things  were  freely  given  to  them  by 
the  Spirit  of  God,  and  that  they  spoke  them  in  the 
words  which  the  Spirit  taught  them.  (1  Cor.  2.)  Thus, 
to  specify  no  other  instances,  it  is  clear  that  the  pur- 
poses of  God  concerning  the  salvation  of  men  by  a 


OF   THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  43 

Divine  Redeemer,  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  and  the 
doctrines  of  the  resurrection,  a  final  judgment,  and  eter- 
nal retributions,  must  have  been  revealed  and  con- 
veyed to  man  by  Inspiration ;  and  if  the  rest  of  the 
contents  of  the  Bible  were  not  all  inspired  in  the  same 
way,  then  there  was  more  than  one  kind  of  inspiration, 
or  else  those  contents  were  not  all  inspired  in  any  way. 

How  universally  it  has  been  taken  for  granted  that 
the  Divine  inspiration  which  is  affirmed  of  the  holy 
Scriptures,  was  an  influence  on  the  faculties  and  capa- 
cities of  men,  may  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  various 
works  of  theologians,  commentators,  essayists,  and 
philosophers,  which  discuss  or  allude  to  the  subject, 
from  the  period  of  the  Reformation  to  the  present  time. 
It  is  solely  on  the  basis  of  this  mistaken  notion  that 
different  kinds  and  degrees  of  inspiration  have  been 
imagined.  This  notion,  of  course,  pervades  the  theo- 
ries and  expositions  of  all  the  rationalistic  writers,  and 
is  essential  to  them.  One  of  the  latest  and  ablest  of 
them,  Mr.  Morell,  in  his  "Philosophy  of  Religion," 
maintains  expressly  that  "inspiration  is  only  a  higher 
potency  of  what  every  man  possesses  to  some  degree  :" 
that  is,  a  more  or  less  developed  or  excited  intellectual, 
intuitional,  and  emotional  consciousness  of  religious 
truths.  Every  man,  it  is  assumed,  has  such  conscious- 
ness to  some  degree.  To  have  it  to  a  higher  than  the 
ordinary  or  natural  degree,  is  to  be  inspired.  It  is  in- 
spiration that  distinguishes  poets  and  geniuses  from 
other  men  ;  and  in  like  manner  distinguishes  religious 
teachers — the  sacred  writers. 

On  the  other  hand,  Doctor  Dick,  a  Scotch  Presby- 
terian minister,  in  his  "  Essay  on  the  Inspiration  of  the 


44  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

Holy  Scriptures,"  says:  "I  define  Inspiration  to  be 
such  an  influence  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  understand- 
ings, imaginations,  memories,  and  other  mental  powers  of 
the  writers  of  the  Sacred  Books,  as  perfectly  qualified  them 
for  communicating  to  the  world  the  knowledge  of  the 
will  of  God." 

The  distinction  made  in  support  of  their  views,  by 
those  who  imagine  different  degrees  and  kinds  of  in- 
spiration, between  the  doctrinal  and  the  historical  and 
other  matter  of  the  Scriptures,  is  entirely  gratuitous. 
The  facts  and  doctrines  are  so  interwoven,  so  dependent 
on  each  other,  and  often,  in  respect  to  the  thoughts  con- 
veyed, so  identical,  as  to  render  it  impossible  to  estab- 
lish such  a  distinction.  Often,  indeed,  the  most  im- 
portant doctrines  are  contained  in  verbal  statements  of 
fact ;  as  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  and  in  the  his- 
torical narratives  of  the  incarnation,  death,  and  resur- 
rection of  Christ.  They  are  misled,  as  in  respect  to 
infallible  guidance,  by  supposing  the  inspiration  to  be 
affirmed  of  the  Sacred  Penmen,  as  if  it  were  an  influ- 
ence exerted  on  their  faculties,  instead  of  being  affirmed 
solely  of  what  was  inspired  into  their  minds,  and 
written  by  them. 

An  error  no  less  prevalent,  is  that  of  supposing  man 
to  have  been  the  inventor  and  architect  of  language ; 
a  notion  which,  among  other  things,  implies  that  he 
had,  prior  to  the  invention,  the  power  of  thinking  and 
of  expressing  his  thoughts  without  words. 

With  these  are  associated  a  variety  of  kindred  no- 
tions, such  as  that  ideas  are  images  impressed  on  the 
mind,  and  held  independently  of  words ;  that  words 
are  merely  the  signs  of  things,  and  are  necessarily  of 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  45 

defective  and  uncertain  significance ;  and  that  the  figu- 
rative use  of  words  is  regulated  by  no  law,  and  is  pe- 
culiarly liable  to  misconstruction  and  uncertainty  of 
meaning. 

That  language  was  a  primeval  gift ;  that  thinking  is 
possible  only  in  words  as  the  medium,  instrument,  and 
vehicle  of  thought ;  that  we  conceive  thoughts  intel- 
lectually, receive  thoughts  from  others,  are  conscious 
of  them,  and  retain  them  in  the  memory  as  we  express 
them  vocally  and  in  writing,  only  in  words  ;  that  the 
conveyance  of  thoughts  into  the  mind  by  inspiration, 
necessarily  includes  the  inspiration  of  words ;  that  in- 
spiration is  affirmed  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  words 
which  constitute  the  writing ;  that  words  necessarily 
and  perfectly  express  the  thoughts  conceived  in  them, 
and  that  it  is  their  office  to  represent  thoughts,  and  not 
things :  to  discuss  and  illustrate  these  propositions,  and 
others  connected  with  them,  and  their  relations  to  the 
infallible  authority  of  the  word  of  God,  and  to  the  in- 
tellectual and  physical  constitution,  faculties,  acts,  and 
consciousness  of  man,  is  the  object  of  the  ensuing 
pages. 

A  few  words  may  be  necessary  concerning  the  object 
to  be  aimed  at,  in  a  discussion  of  this  subject.  The 
special  object  to  be  had  in  view,  is  not  to'  prove  and 
illustrate  the  plenary  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures  for 
the  conviction  of  those  who  believe  with  the  heart  unto 
righteousness.  They  already  have  the  highest  possible 
conviction,  from  the  witness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  with 
their  spirits  to  the  effects  wrought  in  them  through  the 
instrumentality  of  the  inspired  and  written  word. 
They  are  conscious  of  the  coincidence  produced  be- 


46  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

tween  their  natures — their  primary  beliefs — and  the 
truths  of  Scripture;  and  between  the  feelings  and 
emotions  of  their  renewed  hearts  and  the  'word  of 
faith'  which  the  Spirit  employs.  The  Divine  light 
and  authority  of  Scripture  are  realized  to  them.  A 
Divine  self-evidencing  radiance  beams  from  the  sacred 
page  upon  their  understandings  and  their  hearts.  The 
word  of  God  has,  by  the  Divine  influence,  been  ren- 
dered quick  and  powerful  in  them.  They  are  '  taught 
of  God.'  The  Spirit  teaches  them,  not  by  new  reve- 
lations, but  by  causing  them  to  discern,  believe,  and 
obey,  the  truths  already  revealed;  not  by  creating 
new  intellectual  faculties,  but  by  quickening,  rectify- 
ing, and  illuminating  their  previously  blinded  and 
perverted  faculties. 

But  the  special  object  to  be  aimed  at,  is  the  rational 
conviction  of  those  who  are  not  so  taught ;  and  who, 
from  ignorance  and  prejudice,  or  from  false  principles, 
are  in  a  state  of  doubt  and  indifference,  or  of  aversion 
and  opposition.  It  requires  to  be  made  manifest  to 
such,  that  the  Divine  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures  is 
proved  by  evidences  which  reason  can  not  countervail. 

In  the  exhibition  of  these  evidences,  it  must  be  as- 
sumed that  certain  truths  relating  to  God  and  to  man 
are  admitted  by  those  who  are  addressed.  To  men 
who  profess  to  be  atheists,  and  to  infidels  and  deists, 
who  deny  that  the  Scriptures  contain  revelations  from 
God,  and  deny  that  man  needs  either  a  Saviour  from 
sin,  or  any  inspired  rule  of  faith  and  life,  it  would  be 
futile  to  address  an  argument  on  this  subject.  Those 
who  are  addressed  must  be  supposed  to  believe  in  the 
existence  of  God,  his  moral  perfections,  and  his  rela- 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  47 

tion  to  man  as  a  moral  and  accountable  creature ;  and 
to  believe  in  the  fallen  state  of  man,  his  incapacity  to 
discover  the  most  essential  religious  truths,  and  that 
the  Bible  contains  truths  of  fact  and  doctrine  which, 
had  they  not  been  given  by  inspiration,  could  not  be 
discovered  or  conceived. 

To  all  such,  the  question  is :  Whether  the  Scriptures 
are  the  word  of  God,  so  given  by  inspiration  as  to  be 
of  Divine  authority,  and  binding  on  the  faith  and  con- 
science of  man  ?  If  so,  what  is  the  nature  and  effect 
of  the  Divine  act  of  inspiration  ?  Did  that  act  convey 
the  inspired  truths  in  the  words,  idioms,  and  phrases  of 
the  sacred  text  as  written  by  the  prophets  and  apostles  ? 
Did  this  take  place  with  reference  to  the  entire  volume 
of  Scripture?  In  considering  these  questions,  it  is 
properly  deemed  to  be  admitted  and  incontrovertible, 
that  the  Scriptures  do  in  fact  contain  Revelations  from 
God  which  were  recorded  by  the  sacred  writers. 

Again,  with  respect  to  the  miraculous  character  of 
inspiration,  something  needs  to  be  said  in  these  preli- 
minary notices.  A  proper  scriptural  miracle,  is  an 
immediate  act  of  God,  producing  effects  which  are 
both  supernatural  and  contra-natural.  Inspiration  is 
an  immediate  act  of  God  producing  supernatural,  but 
not  contra-natural  effects.  It  is,  therefore,  not  a  proper 
miracle,  but  is  miraculous  only  as  it  transcends  nature 
and  the  agency  of  second  causes.  In  this  respect  it 
may  with  propriety  be  classed  with  that  Divine  act,  the 
effect  of  which  is  the  renovation  of  the  human  soul ; 
and  that  which,  without  any  visible  or  mediate  agency, 
caused  the  chains  to  fall  from  Peter's  hands,  and  the 
iron  gate  of  his  prison  to  fly  open;  and  many  others 


48  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

recorded  in  Scripture :  acts  above  the  powers  of  man 
and  of  Nature,  supernatural  and  Divine,  but  which  did 
not  suspend  or  contravene  any  laws  of  Nature,  but 
were  exerted  in  conformity  with  those  laws.  For  it 
does  not  appear  that  the  Divine  act  of  inspiration  sus- 
pended or  counteracted  any  law,  function,  or  faculty 
of  the  human  mind.  That  act,  on  the  contrary,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  exerted  in  concurrence  with  the 
natural  exercise  of  the  rational  faculties  of  men — with 
their  way  of  receiving  thoughts  from  their  fellow-men, 
conceiving  them  in  words,  and  becoming  intelligently 
conscious  of  them.  Doubtless  the  sacred  writers  had 
an  intelligent  consciousness  of  the  inspired  thoughts 
which  they  were  to  express  in  writing ;  and  in  com-  m 
mitting  them  to  writing,  exercised  their  faculties  in  the 
ordinary  way.  And  since  their  consciousness  of  them 
was,  for  aught  that  appears,  like  that  of  all  other 
thoughts,  the  fact  that  those  thoughts  were  conveyed 
to  them  by  inspiration,  can  afford  no  ground  to  con- 
clude that  the  act  of  conveying  them  suspended  or 
counteracted  any  law  of  their  minds.  That  act,  how- 
ever, was  supernatural  and  Divine ;  for  nothing  but  the 
immediate  exertion  of  the  Divine  efficiency  could  con- 
vey to  them  thoughts,  doctrines,  facts,  previously 
known  only  to  God,  and  in  their  nature  undiscover- 
able  by  man. 

Let  it  further  be  observed,  that  the  term  Scripture  is 
employed  to  signify  all  that  is  written  in  the  sacred 
volume.  The  received  canon  is  established  upon  such 
ample  grounds  of  authority,  that"  we  are  as  much 
bound  to  receive  each  and  every  of  the  Sacred  Books 
as   of   Divine  inspiration  and  authority,  as  any  one 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  49 

of  them.  The  Books  then  extant  were  collectively 
distinguished  by  our  Lord  and  his  apostles,  as  the 
Scriptures,  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  Oracles  of  God, 
the  Word  of  God — which  phrases  were  well  understood 
to  signify  what  had  been  given  by  Inspiration.  By  the 
successors  of  the  Apostles,  after  the  New  Testament 
Canon  had  been  completed,  the  entire  volume  was  dis- 
tinguished by  the  phrases  quoted  above,  and  others  of 
the  same  comprehensive  import — as  the  Divine  Scrip- 
tures, the  Divine  Oracles,  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  the 
Divine  "Word,  the  Scriptures  of  the  Lord,  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments.  The  several  Books  which  constitute 
the  present  canon  were  enumerated,  those  of  the  Old 
Testament  by  Jewish  writers,  and  those  both  of  the 
Old  and  New  by  several  of  the  early  Christian  writers. 
Those  of  both  Testaments  were,  shortly  after  the  apos- 
tolic age,  collected  into  a  distinct  volume,  which  was 
called  the  Book  of  Scripture — the  Ancient  and  New 
Scriptures,  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  See  Lardner, 
Home's  Introduction,  and  authorities  quoted  by  Paley. 
Lastly,  considering  the  acknowledged  necessity  of  a 
revelation  from  God  to  man,  and  the  nature  of  the 
facts  and  doctrines  which  the  Scriptures  contain,  it  is 
obvious  and  reasonable  to  assume,  that  their  Divine 
Author  had  a  specific  purpose  and  plan  to  be  exhibited 
and  accomplished  by  their  publication ;  and  that  He 
inspired  and  caused  to  be  written  such,  and  only  such 
things,  as  in  the  view  of  Infinite  Wisdom  were  neces- 
sary to  the  perfect  accomplishment  of  that  plan.  And 
since  the  Bible  as  a  whole  has  the  unqualified  sanction 
both  of  Divine  and  human  testimony,  as  being  the 
word  of  God,  given  by  inspiration,  every  part  of  its 
3 


50  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

contents  is  consistent  with  the  rest,  and  equally  derives 
its  authority  from  Him  by  its  inspiration.  When, 
therefore,  it  is  claimed  for  the  Scriptures  collectively 
that  they  are  the  word  of  God,  much  more  is  claimed 
for  them  than  that  they  were  written  by  His  direction, 
or  by  His  direction  and  assistance ;  as  in  the  case  of 
any  writings  claimed  to  be  the  writings  of  a  particular 
man,  much  more  is  meant  than  that  they  were  written 
by  his  direction  and  assistance.  It  is  claimed  that  they 
express  in  his  own  words  and  on  his  own  authority  the 
thoughts  which  he  intended  to  express,  whether  in  the 
mechanical  process  of  writing  he  employed  an  amanu- 
ensis or  not.  Less  than  this  would  not  constitute  him 
the  author,  and  render  him  absolutely  and  unavoidably 
responsible.  It  is,  therefore,  in  this  sense  claimed  for 
the  Scriptures  as  the  word  of  God,  that  the  particular 
thoughts  which  He  intended  should  be  expressed,  were 
inspired  into  the  minds  of  the  sacred  writers  in  the 
words  which  He  intended  should  be  employed  to  ex- 
press them ;  and  that  they  involve  His  infinite  and  im- 
mutable authority,  and  consequently  are  a  perfect  rule 
of  faith  and  life.  If  every  part  of  the  original  text  is 
not  in  this  sense  His  word,  then  it  can  not  be  deter- 
mined which  part,  if  any,  is  His  word,  in  any  such  sense 
as  indisputably  to  involve  His  authority  and  be  bind- 
ing on  man's  conscience.  But  if  every  part  of  it  is 
His  word,  then  every  part  of  it  was  given  by  His  in- 
spiration, and  He  must  have  determined,  in  respect  to 
every  particular  word  and  sentence,  what  should  be 
written  and  published  as  His  word.  Whether  portions 
of  its  histories,  biographies,  facts,  precepts,  observations, 
were  or  were  not  previously  known  to  the  writers, 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  51 

could,  in  this  relation,  make  no  difference.  For  if  any 
words  of  the  text  were  inserted  on  man's  authority  and 
discretion — inserted  without  being  inspired  of  God,  it 
can  not  be  claimed  for  them,  that  they  are  His  words. 
They  may  be  just  and  true  in  their  import,  but  they 
can  not  be  known  to  be  so  on  the  authority  and  as  the 
words  of  God.  In  respect  to  what  He  determined  to 
include  in  the  sacred  volume,  it  could  be  of  no  conse- 
quence what  particulars  the  writers  were  acquainted 
with  before.  Thus  with  reference,  for  example,  to  the 
Four  Gospels.  The  particulars  recorded  by  Matthew 
and  John,  were  for  the  most  part  previously  within  their 
personal  knowledge ;  while  that  was  not  the  case  with 
Mark  and  Luke.  But  who  will  pretend  that  the  words 
and  sentences  which  were  written  by  the  two  last,  were 
any  more  or  otherwise  inspired,  than  those  which  were 
written  by  the  two  first-named  Evangelists  ?  So  with 
respect  to  the  Book  of  Genesis,  of  which  no  item  of  the 
contents  could  have  been  previously  within  the  personal 
knowledge  of  Moses.  Whatever  traditions  may  have 
been  handed  down  through  a  period  of  twenty  five 
himdred  years,  we  may  confidently  assert  that  many  of 
the  things  contained  in  that  Book,  could  have  been 
communicated  to  him  only  by  immediate  inspiration  ; 
and  it  would  be  a  violent  and  incredible  presumption 
to  suppose  that,  for  the  rest  of  the  contents,  he  relied 
on  tradition.  Even  had  ample  traditions  existed  among 
the  Hebrews  in  their  Egyptian  bondage,  it  is  a  far 
more  incredible  supposition,  that  he  was  infallibly 
guided  to  make  a  selection  from  them,  and  a  selection 
of  words  by  which  to  express  them,  than  that  he  re- 
1  them  in  their  proper  order  and  connections,  by 
immediate  verbal  inspiration. 


52  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 


CHAPTER    III. 

THE  NATURE  OF  INSPIRATION. 

The  Holy  Scriptures  claim  to  be  the  word  of  God, 
on  the  ground  that  they  were  inspired  by  Him.  Their 
inspiration,  therefore,  must  have  been  of  a  nature  to 
justify  that  designation.  Their  being  given  by  inspir- 
ation, proves  that  they  verbally  express  His  thoughts 
in  the  words  which  constitute  the  writing.  Large  por- 
tions of  them  consist  of  words  which  are  declared  to 
have  been  audibly  spoken  by  Him.  Of  those  portions, 
the  inspiration,  whether  coincident  with  the  vocal  ut- 
terance, or  the  result  of  a  Divine  act  recalling  and  re- 
newing to  the  intelligent  consciousness  of  the  Prophets, 
what  they  had  heard,  must  have  included  the  words 
which  had  been  audibly  articulated.  The  Divine  act 
of  inspiration,  whatever  may  have  characterized  it  in 
other  respects,  conveyed  to  their  minds  His  thoughts 
in  His  words ;  and,  therefore,  the  words  which  they 
wrote,  are  His.  All  that  we  can  discern,  or  are  con- 
cerned to  know  of  the  nature  of  that  act,  is  thus  shown 
by  the  effect  produced — the  conveyance  of  thoughts  in 
words.  The  portions  of  Scripture  above  referred  to, 
are  admitted  by  all  who  believe  in  any  inspiration,  to 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  53 

have  been  inspired  ;  and  if,  in  respect  to  them,  the  in- 
spiring act  conveyed  the  thoughts  in  the  words  by  which 
they  are  expressed  in  the  original  text,  then,  to  that 
extent  we  discern  the  nature  and  effect  of  inspiration, 
and  have  ground  on  which  to  ascribe  the  same  effect  to 
the  inspiration  of  the  rest  of  Scripture — the  inspiration 
of  all  that  the  Divine  Wisdom  saw  fit  to  include  and 
cause  to  be  written  in  the  sacred  volume. 

Such  an  effect  is  accordingly  signified  by  the  word 
inspiration.  That  word  is  the  same  in  English  as  in 
French,  and  signifies  "  the  act  of  breathing  into  any 
thing — the  infusion  of  ideas  into  the  mind  by  the  Holy 
Spirit."  The  Hebrew  word  is  rendered :  "  Inspiration — 
breathing  into — the  breath  of  the  Lord."  The  Greek, 
"  Divinely  inspired."  The  meaning  of  the  word  as 
applied  to  the  Holy  Scriptures,  is  founded  on  the  ana- 
logy between  the  impulsion  of  air  from  without,  into 
the  body,  and  the  conveyance  of  thoughts  from  with- 
out into  the  mind. 

Thoughts  conceived  in  the  mind  may  be  compared 
to  material  forms  seen  by  the  eye.  They  are  conceived 
in  words,  as  visible  objects  are  seen  in  their  proper 
form  and  outline.  By  means  of  words  the  mind  is 
conscious  of  particular  thoughts  ;  as  by  means  of  their 
distinct  forms  we  distinguish  and  are  conscious  of  see- 
ing particular  objects.  Words  are  the  medium  and  in- 
strument of  thought.  Thoughts  audibly  expressed  to  a 
prophet  would  be  conveyed  to  his  mind  conjointly  with 
the  words,  and  his  reception  of  them  would  result  from 
his  understanding  the  words  uttered.  And  thoughts 
conveyed  to  his  mind  by  Divine  inspiration  must  of 
necessity  be  conveyed  in  words  in  order  to  his  being 


54  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

conscious  of  receiving  them  :  for  no  man  is  conscious 
of  thinking  or  of  receiving,  holding,  comprehending, 
or  remembering  distinct  thoughts,  disconnected  from 
the  words  which,  if  expressed,  vocally  or  in  writing, 
would  distinctly  represent  them. 

The  visual  perception  of  a  person  or  a  statue,  pro- 
duces in  the  mind  an  effect  like  that  of  reading  or 
hearing  the  names  of  those  objects.  The  visible  ob- 
ject in  the  one  case,  is  to  the  mind  what  the  vocal  sound 
and  written  word  are  in  the  other.  The  same  thought 
results  in  each  case  comcidently  with  the  perception. 
But  that  thought  does  not  arise  except  as  it  is  intel- 
lectually conceived  in  words ;  nor  does  the  mind  other- 
wise become  conscious  of  it,  or  remember  it.  The  pro- 
duction in  the  mind  of  an  equivalent  result — the  intel- 
ligent consciousness  of  particular  thoughts — is  the  pur- 
pose and  effect  of  inspiration.  And  since  thought  can 
not  transcend  consciousness,  and  we  are  conscious  of 
thoughts  only  in  words,  inspiration  must  of  necessity 
convey  words  with  thoughts,  or  it  would  convey  no- 
thing of  which  the  recipient  could  be  conscious. 

Divine  inspiration  is  the  act  of  God,  by  which  He  con- 
veyed to  the  minds  of  the  sacred  writers  the  thoughts  which 
they  were  to  express  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  And  inas- 
much as  He  alone  could  determine  what  thoughts  should 
be  expressed,  and  as  man  could  not  in  the  rational  and 
ordinary  exercise  of  his  faculties  receive  inspired  or 
other  thoughts  otherwise  than  as  they  are  conceived  in 
words,  it  follows  that  He  conveyed  to  them  by  Inspira- 
tion what  they  wrote — the  thoughts  in  the  words  by 
which  they  are  expressed. 

The  word  Eevelation  appropriately  signifies  the  com- 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  55 

munication  of  truth  from  God  to  men.  To  reveal,  is 
to  disclose,  discover,  make  known.  The  Hebrew  word 
signifies  to  uncover,  to  disclose,  or  make  manifest  by  acts 
and  events,  and  to  reveal,  disclose,  communicate  truths 
to  the  mind  by  words  or  signs.  Thus  in  the  history  of 
Samuel :  it  is  said  when  Jehovah  first  called  him,  that 
the  word  of  the  Lord  was  not  yet  revealed  to  him  ;  and 
subsequently,  that  "  the  Lord  revealed  Himself  to  Sam- 
uel in  Shiloh,  by  the  word  of  the  Lord."  Again  : 
"  Now  the  Lord  had  told — revealed  to — Samuel  in  his 
ear,  a  day  before  Saul  came,  saying,  To-morrow 
about  this  time,  I  will  send  thee  a  man."  David,  after 
receiving  a  special  revelation  from  God,  by  the  mouth 
of  Nathan,  says :  "And  now,  0  Lord  God,  the  word 
that  Thou  hast  spoken  concerning  Thy  servant  and  con- 
cerning his  house,  establish  it  forever.  .  .  For  Thou, 
O  Lord  of  Hosts,  God  of  Israel,  hast  revealed  to  Thy 
servant,  saying,  I  will  build  thee  an  house."  Isaiah 
says :  "  It  was  revealed  in  mine  ears  by  the  Lord  of 
Hosts,  Surely  this  iniquity  shall  not  be  purged  from 
you  till  ye  die,  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Hosts."  Sure- 
ly, says  Amos,  "the  Lord  God  will  do  nothing  but 
He  revealeih  His  secret  unto  His  servants  the  prophets." 
"A  tale-bearer  revealeih  secrets  " — that  is,  by  speaking 
words.  "  The  secret  things  belong  unto  the  Lord  our 
God  ;  but  those  things  which  are  revealed^  belong  unto 
us  and  to  our  children  forever,  that  we  may  keep  all 
the  words  of  this  law." 

The  Greek  word  is  of  similar  import,  signifying  the 
communication  of  thoughts  by  words  audibly  uttered, 
by  causing  a  verbal  conception  of  them  in  dreams,  or 
by  the  instrumentality  of  external  signs  and  manifest- 


56  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

ations.  The  wise  men  were  warned  of  God  in  a  dream, 
That  they  should  not  return  to  Herod.  "  It  was  re- 
vealed unto  Simeon,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  he  should 
not  see  death  before  he  had  seen  the  Lord's  Christ." 
"  Moses  was  admonished  of  God,  when  he  was  about 
to  make  the  tabernaele :  For  See,  saith  He,  that  thou 
make  all  things  according  to  the  pattern  showed  to 
thee  in  the  mount."  "  Noah  was  warned  of  God,  of 
things  not  seen  as  yet."  He  received  revelations  in 
words  audibly  spoken.  "  If  they  escaped  not  who  re- 
fused him  that  spake  on  earth,  much  more  shall  not  we 
escape  if  we  turn  away  from  Him  that  speaketh  from 
heaven."  The  things  which  man  could  not  discover, 
God  hath  "  revealed  unto  us  by  His  Spirit."  The  mys- 
tery of  Christ  "  is  now  revealed  unto  the  holy  apostles 
and  prophets  by  the  Spirit,  That  the  Gentiles  should 
be  fellow-heirs,  and  of  the  same  body."  "  Unto  the 
prophets  it  was  revealed,  that,  not  unto  themselves,  but 
unto  us  they  did  minister." 

In  both  Testaments  wherever  the  words  which  are 
translated,  reveal,  revealed,  revelation,  are  applied  to 
any  thing  contained  in  the  Scriptures,  distinct  verbal 
communications  are  referred  to.  Often  it  is  expressly 
said  that  the  very  words  which  were  employed  by  the 
revealing  Spirit,  were  the  words  which  are  written  ; 
and  there  is  no  reasonable  ground  to  conclude  that  such 
was  not  the  case  uniformly.  On  the  contrary,  the  con- 
clusion that  the  words  which  were  inspired  by  the 
Spirit,  were  the  very  words  which  the  Sacred  Penmen 
wrote,  is  justified  by  the  declared  usage  in  numerous 
instances,  and  with  respect  to  the  rest,  by  the  nature 
of  inspiration  as  a  Divine  act  conveying  thoughts  to 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  57 

the  minds  of  the  Sacred  Penmen  to  be  by  them  ex- 
pressed in  writing ;  by  the  parallel  usage  of  the  pro- 
phets and  apostles  in  speaking  the  words  which  had 
been  spoken  to  them,  or  inspired  into  their  minds ;  by 
the  fact  that  often  the  thoughts  were  such  as  they  were 
incapable  of  selecting  words  to  express ;  and  in  a  word, 
by  every  consideration  relating  to  the  subject. 


3* 


58  THE  PLENAEY  INSPIKATION 


CHAPTER    IV. 

VOCAL  AND  WKITTEN  LANGUAGE. 

Thought  is  conceived  and  expressed  in  words,  and 
equivalent  signs,  as  its  medium,  instrument,  and  repre- 
sentative, in  a  variety  of  ways. 

1st.  By  all  tlie  articulate  vocal  sounds,  which  consti- 
tute spoken  language. 

2d.  By  all  those  significant  acts  and  gestures  which 
are  employed  in  place  of  spoken  and  written  words. 

3d.  By  picture  writing — in  which  thoughts  are  re- 
presented by  pictures,  which  have  a  metaphorical  im- 
port— the  leading  circumstance  in  a  subject  being  por- 
trayed to  indicate  or  express  the  whole. 

4th.  By  hieroglyphics,  which  represent  spoken  words, 
syllables,  and  letters — to  read  or  interpret  which,  is  to 
utter  the  words — the  vocal  sounds — which  they  re- 
spectively represent. 

A  large  class  of  hieroglyphics  represented  particular 
words ;  another  class  denoted  thoughts  which  were 
easily  associated  with  each  other,  by  analogy  or  re- 
semblance. But  into  whatever  classes  the  simple  and 
the  more  complex  hieroglyphics  may  be  distributed, 
they  were  all  representations  of  spoken  words,  sylla- 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTUKES.  59 

bles,  or  letters,  and  were  read  like  other  kinds  of  writ- 
ing, as  representing  vocal  sounds.  It  is  obvious,  in- 
deed, from  the  nature  of  the  subject,  that  the  charac- 
ters employed  in  hieroglyphic  writing,  were  employed 
for  the  same  purpose  and  to  the  same  effect,  as  the  let- 
ters and  words  of  alphabetic  writing.  For  those  cha- 
racters were  employed  to  express  such  thoughts  only 
as  the  writer  could  express  vocally,  in  words ;  since 
to  read  them,  their  force  and  meaning  must  first  be 
understood  in  the  vulgar  tongue,  as  the  reading  of 
them  must  of  necessity  be  the  utterance  of  words  of 
corresponding  import,  in  like  manner  as  in  reading 
Greek  or  Latin  into  English.  To  suppose  that  hiero- 
glyphics stood  for  things,  and  not  for  words,  or  rather 
for  thoughts  as  words  do,  is  to  suppose,  in  opposition  to 
experience,  that  they  can  not  be  read  in  the  words  of 
ordinary  language,  and  that  men  can  think  and  ex- 
press their  thoughts  to  others  without  words. 

5th.  By  arbitrary  marks  to  which  a  specific  meaning 
and  pronunciation  are  assigned,  as  in  the  instance  of 
the  Chinese  written  characters,  which,  though  not 
alphabetic,  are  representative  of  vocal  sounds. 

6th.  By  every  species  of  alphabetic  writing. 

These  several  methods  of  writing  are  alike  in  this, 
that  they  represent  spoken  words,  so  that  the  reading  of 
what  is  written,  is  simply  a  repetition  or  utterance  of 
the  vocal  sounds  which  the  writing  represents.  Such, 
indeed,  in  its  relation  to  thought,  is  the  only  office  of 
writing ;  notwithstanding  that  most  of  the  characters 
in  picture  writing,  and  many  of  those  in  hieroglyphic, 
are  in  their  form  suggestive  of  the  meaning  which  they 
are  intended  to  express.     Spoken  words,  are  audible 


60  THE  PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

\houghts.  Pictures,  hieroglyphics,  and  alphabetic  marks, 
are  visible  thoughts. 

When  men  express  themselves  orally,  it  is  by  utter- 
ing the  words  in  which  they  conceive  their  thoughts. 
When  they  express  their  thoughts  by  any  species  of 
writing,  it  is  by  alphabetic  or  other  marks,  which  re- 
present the  words  in  which  they  think.  If  they  indi- 
cate their  meaning  by  gestures  or  significant  acts,  it  is 
by  such  as  are  adapted,  and  understood,  like  words,  to 
represent  their  thoughts.  And  it  is  no  less  true  that 
thoughts  in  the  mind,  which  are  not  in  any  manner 
expressed,  are,  at  least  so  far  as  we  are  conscious  of 
them,  silently  articulated  or  clothed  in  words.  Inter- 
nal sensations  and  emotions  may  arise  without  any  con- 
sciousness of  the  words  by  which  they  might  be  de- 
scribed. But  no  one  can  exercise  his  mind  in  think- 
ing of  any  thing  within  or  without,  real  or  imaginary, 
without  being  conscious  of  the  words  which  he  would 
employ,  were  he  audibly  to  express  his  thoughts. 
Even  in  dreams  and  visions  the  thoughts  are  conceived 
and  embodied  in  the  words  in  which  they  are  after- 
wards remembered ;  as  are  all  the  thoughts  of  what- 
ever kind,  that  are  treasured  up  in  the  memory.  They 
are  distinctly  remembered  and  recalled,  no  further  than 
the  words  are  in  which  they  were  originally  conceived. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  sketch  of  the  modes  in 
which  men  receive  and  express  their  thoughts,  by 
vocal  sounds,  significant  acts,  and  alphabetic  or  other 
writing,  a  reference  is  due  to  representative  symbols ; 
which  are  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  prophetic 
Scriptures,  as  representing,  on  the  ground  of  analogy 
or  resemblance,  agents,  acts,  and  effects  of  a  different 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  61 

nature  and  sphere  from  themselves.  Agents  and  phe- 
nomena which  are  perceptible  by  the  senses,  are  em- 
ployed as  symbols  to  represent  other  agents  and  phe- 
nomena, which  are  in  some  respect  analogous.  The 
revelation  conveyed  by  these  means,  is  neither  received 
by  the  prophet,  nor  expressed  by  him  in  words,  but  is 
signified  by  the  things  symbolized.  He  sees  the  sym- 
bol literally,  or  in  prophetic  vision,  and  discerns  its  cha- 
racteristics, and  from  their  analogy  to  those  of  the 
object  symbolized,  infers  what  is  intended  to  be  fore- 
shown. In  writing,  he  employs  words  in  their  literal 
sense,  not  to  express  what  is  revealed,  but  merely  to 
describe  the  symbol  as  it  appeared  to  his  senses. 

There  is  an  analogy  between  the  office  of  words  as 
the  instrument  of  thought,  and  that  of  light  as  the  in- 
strument of  vision,  and  of  air  as  the  instrument  of  hear- 
ing. The  power  of  seeing  exists,  but  in  the  absence 
of  light  is  dormant.  The  presence  of  light  is  a  condi- 
tion of  the  exercise  of  the  visual  faculty.  Light  is 
to  the  act  by  which  the  mind  perceives  external  ob- 
jects, what  words  are  to  the  act  of  thinking,  and  air  to 
the  act  of  hearing.  By  means  of  light  we  become  con- 
scious of  seeing,  through  the  medium  of  the  eye.  By 
means  of  air  we  become  conscious  of  hearing,  through 
the  ear.  So  by  means  of  words  we  become  conscious 
of  thinking,  and  by  means  of  the  vocal  organs  and  of 
writing,  of  expressing  our  thoughts  audibly  and  visibly 
to  ourselves  and  others. 

That  capability  of  the  soul  by  which  we  see  and  in 
the  act  of  seeing  distinguish  the  forms  and  colors  of  ex- 
ternal objects,  and  by  which  in  hearing  we  distinguish 
particular  sounds,  is  the  same  with  that  by  which  the 


62  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

soul  in  thinking  distinguishes  its  successive  thoughts 
by  a  necessary  condition  and  adjunct  of  thought  which 
renders  us  conscious  of  what  we  think,  and  which  we 
express  by  vocal  articulations.  As  we  are  conscious 
of  seeing  only  as  we  are  conscious  of  distinguishing 
particular  forms  and  colors,  and  of  hearing  only  as 
we  are  conscious  of  distinguishing  particular  sounds ; 
so  we  are  conscious  of  thinking  only  as  we  are  con- 
scious of  that  discriminating  adjunct  of  thought, 
which,  by  means  of  the  vocal  organs,  we  render 
audible  in  words.  Insomuch,  that  our  experience 
and  consciousness  being  the  only  test,  we  can  no  more 
think  without  that  adjunct,  which  as  we  are  conscious 
of  it  and  express  it  audibly,  constitutes  our  words, 
than  we  can  see  and  hear  without  distinguishing  colors 
and  sounds. 

If  it  be  asked  how,  by  what  process,  or  at  what  stage 
of  the  process  of  thinking,  does  the  mind  supply  that 
contingent  of  thought,  which,  when  realized  to  the 
consciousness,  and  when  articulated,  constitutes  lan- 
guage ? — let  him  answer  who  can  tell  how,  by  what 
process  and  at  what  stage,  the  mind  discriminates 
forms,  colors,  sounds,  relations,  proportions,  and  other 
qualities?  Such  discrimination  accompanies  and  is 
essential  to  the  acts  of  seeing  and  hearing ;  but  is  in 
no  degree  due  to  the  mechanical  structure,  capacity,  or 
operation  of  the  visual  and  auditory  organs.  Infinite 
varieties  of  figures,  colors,  sounds,  relations,  propor- 
tions, qualities,  and  numbers,  exist  externally,  which 
as  soon  as  they  are  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  mind, 
are  perfectly  discriminated  and  distinguished  from  each 
other,  so  that  we  are  no  sooner  conscious  of  noticing 


OF   THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  63 

them  than  we  are  conscious  of  the  discrimination.  If  a 
definition  be  desired  of  that  adjunct,  concomitant,  me- 
dium and  vehicle  of  thought,  of  which  we  are  con- 
scious when  we  think — a  definition  explaining  what  it 
is  prior  to  any  mental  or  vocal  articulation,  but  which 
when  silently  cognized,  and  when  vocally  expressed,  is 
articulate  language,  let  him  answer  who  can,  consist- 
ently with  his  own  consciousness — if  it  be  not  a  suffi- 
cient and  satisfactory  answer  to  say,  that  it  is  that 
which,  when  we  are  conscious  of  what  we  think,  and 
when  we  vocally  express  our  thoughts,  constitutes  our 
language — words,  commensurate,  in  significance,  and 
in  respect  to  our  consciousness,  with  our  thoughts.  If 
it  be  asked,  how  is  that  basis  of  silent,  and  of  vocal 
articulation,  of  which  we  are  conscious  when  we  think, 
originated  or  produced?  Here  in  turn,  the  querist 
may  with  propriety  be  asked,  how  is  thought  itself 
originated,  or  produced  ? — and  how  will  he  define  what 
thought  is  abstractly  from  words  ? — and  how  does  it 
happen  that  thoughts  can  be  expressed  in  words  ?  But 
while  we  can  no  more  define  what  thought  is,  distinct 
and  independent  of  words,  than  we  can  be  conscious  of 
thinking  without  at  the  same  time  being  conscious  of 
the  words  which,  when  silently  or  audibly  articulated, 
express  our  thoughts,  the  supply  of  words  answerable 
to  all  the  thoughts  of  which  we  are  conscious,  is  satis- 
factorily accounted  for,  by  the  fact  that  we  previously 
learn  the  words,  their  forms,  sounds,  and  meanings,  and 
retain  them  in  memory  and  subject  to  the  power  which 
we  exercise  in  thinking.  This  is  matter  of  uniform 
and  universal  experience,  and  as  well  with  reference  to 
adults  as  to  children.     There  may  be  great  variety  in 


64  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

the  appropriation  and  use  of  words ;  but  there  is  no 
conscious  thinking  without  a  previous  knowledge  of 
words  competent  to  be  the  medium,  and  when  articu- 
lated to  express  our  every  thought. 

Such  then  is  man's  constitution  that  a  knowledge 
and  use  of  words  is  necessary  to  his  exercise  of  the 
power  of  thinking.  This  feature  of  his  mental  consti- 
tution is,  with  reference  to  his  social  existence  and  re- 
lations, associated  with  his  vocal  organs,  and  his  power 
of  employing  them  in  the  audible  enunciation  of  words, 
and  also  his  power  of  visibly  expressing  them  in  writ- 
ing. 

Hence  the  necessity  of  teaching  children  the  meaning 
of  words  in  order  to  their  exercising  the  power  of 
thought ;  the  sound  of  words  in  order  to  the  vocal  ex- 
pression, and  writing,  in  order  to  the  visible  repre- 
sentation of  their  thoughts. 

Our  primary  knowledge  begins  with  sensations ; 
which  require  certain  conditions  of  the  bodily  organs. 
But  thinking,  reasoning,  reflection,  are  supersensuous, 
a  product  of  the  mind  under  appropriate  conditions. 
The  conditions  may,  in  different  individuals,  exist  im- 
perfectly and  in  as  different  degrees  as  the  power  of 
thought  is  exercised  by  different  persons.  A  deaf  and 
blind  mute  may  have  other  sensations  than  those  which 
depend  on  sight  and  hearing ;  and  in  comparing,  think- 
ing, and  reasoning  upon  them,  may  substitute  some 
species  of  signs  in  place  of  words.  But  the  variety 
and  compass  of  his  thoughts  will  necessarily  be  and 
without  other  helps,  will  ever  continue  to  be,  very 
limited.  A  merely  deaf  mute  is  at  less  disadvantage. 
A  child  who  hears  and  sees,  but  is  not  taught  the 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  65 

meaning  and  sound  of  words,  will  remain  a  child  in 
respect  to  his  power  of  thinking.  When  a  deaf  mute 
is  taught  by  signs  and  gestures  as  a  substitute  for  the 
vocal  utterance  of  words,  the  signs,  like  picture  writ- 
ing, hieroglyphics,  and  all  arbitrary  characters,  are  to 
him  the  instrument  of  thinking.  They  supply  the 
place,  and  to  their  limited  extent,  fulfill  the  office  of 
words,  and  the  pupil's  power  of  thinking  keeps  pace 
with  his  acquisitions. 

These  observations  might  be  illustrated  and  confirmed 
in  a  variety  of  ways.  Let  it  suffice  at  present  to  refer 
to  the  office  and  exercise  of  memory.  It  is  the  office 
of  memory  to  retain  and  recall  past  thoughts.  But  as 
has  already  been  remarked,  such  thoughts  are  remem- 
bered in  the  words  which  originally  contained  them. 
There  is  no  distinct  memory  of  past  thoughts  but  in 
conjunction  with  the  words  belonging  to  them.  If,  as 
some  may  imagine,  the  mind  has  thoughts  in  infancy 
or  advanced  life,  prior  to  its  consciousness  of  any  cor- 
responding words  or  signs,  such  thoughts  are  not  with- 
in the  grasp  of  memory ;  and  if  they  exist,  they  can 
not  be  reasoned  from  to  invalidate  what  has  been  ad- 
vanced respecting  the  thinking  of  which  we  are  con- 
scious, and  which  we  remember  by  virtue  of  the  words 
which  are  its  vehicle. 

Words  are  articulate  vocal  sounds — letters  written  or 
printed,  which  represent  a  sound,  or  combination  of 
sounds.  A  letter,  is  a  mark,  or  character,  written, 
printed,  engraved,  or  painted  ;  used  as  the  representa- 
tive of  a  sound,  or  of  an  articulation  of  the  human  or- 
gans of  speech.  Articulation,  is  the  forming  of  words 
by  the  human  voice,  uttering  articulate  sounds,  distinct 


66  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

syllables  or  words.  To  speak,  is  to  express  thoughts 
by  words. 

The  faculty  of  uttering  significant  articulate  sounds, 
of  enunciating  words  by  the  voice  as  expressions  of 
thought  to  others,  is  founded  in  the  constitution  of 
man ;  a  faculty  involving  the  concurrent  action  of 
physical  organs  and  mental  powers,  like  that  of  hear- 
ing and  distinguishing  vocal  sounds  by  the  ear,  and 
that  of  seeing  and  discriminating  the  forms,  dimen- 
sions, and  colors,  of  external  objects  by  the  eye. 
Those  significant  articulate  sounds  which  constitute 
words,  and  which  when  vocally  uttered  express 
thoughts,  are  to  our  consciousness  of  thinking  or  of 
the  thoughts  expressed,  and  to  all  distinct  thoughts  of 
which  we  are  conscious,  what  visible  objects,  and  audi- 
ble sounds  are  to  the  sensations  of  seeing  and  hearing. 
They  have  the  same  relation  to  the  faculty  of  thinking, 
which  visible  objects  have  to  the  faculty  of  seeing,  and 
audible  sounds  to  the  faculty  of  hearing;  insomuch 
that  thinking  can  no  more  take  place  without  words, 
than  seeing  where  there  are  no  visible  objects,  and 
hearing  where  there  are  no  audible  sounds.  The 
power  of  thinking,  considered  simply  as  an  intellectual 
power,  is  exercised  by  means  of  the  instrumentality  of 
words :  as  the  power  of  visual  perception  is  exercised 
by  means  of  the  eye,  and  that  of  auricular  perception 
by  means  of  the  ear. 

Hence  word  and  Uiought  often  signify  identically  the 
same.  '  The  Lord  put  a  word  in  Baalam's  niouth. 
Take  heed  to  speak  that  which  the  Lord  hath  put  in 
thy  mouth.  I  will  put  my  words  in  his  mouth.  The 
Lord   said   unto   Jeremiah,    Behold  I   have  put   my 


OF   THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  67 

words  in  thy  mouth.'  These  and  many  similar  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  denote  the  communication  of 
thoughts  by  inspiration  in  the  words,  by  which  the  re- 
cipient was  to  express  them.  And  since  in  all  other 
instances  of  Divine  Inspiration,  equally  with  these  a 
supernatural  influence  was  requisite,  there  is  nothing 
in  the  nature  of  the  case,  adverse  to  the  belief  that  in 
every  instance,  words  in  conjunction  with  thoughts 
were  inspired. 

Language  in  the  comprehensive  sense  above  refe'rred 
to,  is,  by  the  constitution  of  man,  the  means  of  realiz- 
ing to  his  own  intelligent  consciousness,  and  of  exhibit- 
ing to  his  fellow-men,  precisely  what  his  thoughts  are ; 
and  in  the  latter  particular  sustains  a  relation  to  hearers 
and  readers,  somewhat  similar  to  that  which  the  works 
of  creation  and  providence  sustain  as  evidences  of  the 
Being,  wisdom,  and  agency  of  the  Creator  and  Ruler  of 
the  world.  Each  individual  man  is  surrounded  by  other 
individuals,  distinct  from  himself.  His  thoughts  are 
made  known  to  them  by  means  of  language  spoken 
and  written  ;  and  they  are  thus  made  known  with  the 
same  precision  as  they  are  known  to  himself  by  con- 
sciousness. Words,  when  a  man  speaks  or  writes 
them  truly  to  express  what  he  is  conscious  of  thinking, 
convey  to  the  hearer  or  reader  as  exactly  and  per- 
fectly what  he  thinks,  as  it  exists  in  his  own  mind ; 
and  to  that  effect  accordingly  they  are  understood. 
This  is  not  less  true  of  all  the  words  of  a  language 
when  intelligently  spoken,  than  it  is  universally  ad- 
mitted to  be  in  respect  to  particular  classes  of  words, 
such  as  the  names  of  persons  and  things,  and  designa- 
tions of   qualities,  acts,    characteristics,    and    events. 


68  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

Even  when  men  deceive,  the  words  which  they  employ 
to  convey  a  falsehood  or  a  lie,  are  as  much  the  instru- 
ment of  the  thoughts  which  they  express,  as  if  they 
were  not  falsely  intended.  "As  he  thinketh  in  his 
heart,  so  is  he — Out  of  the  heart  proceed  evil  thoughts." 
By  their  words  men  are  to  be  justified,  and  by  their 
words  they  are  to  be  condemned. 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  69 


CHAPTER    V. 

THE  ORIGIN   OF   LANGUAGE. 

The  question  whether  the  gift  of  language  was  ori- 
ginally conferred  on  man  by  his  Creator,  or  whether  he 
was  left  to  invent,  and  by  slow  degrees  acquire  the  use 
of  words,  has  been  much  discussed.  The  latter  notion 
assumes  that  the  first  man  was  as  an  infant  in  respect  to 
the  power  of  thinking  and  expressing  his  thoughts; 
that  the  race  continued  long  in  ignorance  and  barbar- 
ism ;  and  that  at  length,  necessity  led  to  the  invention 
and  use  of  language. 

These  assumptions  are  inconsistent  with  man's  con- 
stitution, by  which  words  are  necessary  to  thought, 
with  his  primeval  necessities,  and  with  the  inspired  re- 
cord. Such  thinking  as  the  invention  of  language  im- 
plies presupposes,  indeed,  the  actual  knowledge  and  use 
of  words.  To  his  very  first  thought  upon  the  subject, 
a  coincident  word  must  have  been  necessary,  not  only 
in  order  to  his  being  conscious  of  it  as  a  thought,  but  to 
his  remembering  it  so  as  to  combine  it  with  a  second. 
But  being,  from  the  moment  of  his  creation,  mature  and 
perfect  in  other  respects,  it  is  impossible  that  he  should 
have  been  as  an  infant  in  respect  to  his  power  of  think- 


70  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

ing  and  expressing  his  thoughts.  His  necessities  as  an 
adult  required  the  immediate  use  of  language ;  and  ac- 
cordingly, that  the  knowledge  and  use  of  words  were 
imparted  to  him  by  his  Creator  at  the  outset  of  his  ex- 
istence, is  rendered  evident  in  the  first  and  second  chap- 
ters of  Genesis ;  where,  in  immediate  connection  with 
the  announcement  of  his  creation,  Divine  commands  are 
addressed  to  him,  which,  as  appears  from  the  context, 
he  clearly  understood ;  and  where  the  record  of  his 
naming  the  beasts  of  the  field  and  the  fowls  of  the  air, 
and  his  announcement  concerning  Eve,  evince  that  he 
rightly  understood  the  meaning  and  use  of  words. 
That  the  words  by  which  he  named  the  inferior  crea- 
tures were  inspired  into  his  mind  with  the  thoughts 
which  they  expressed,  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  the 
names  which  he  gave  them  were  significant  of  their 
natures  or  of  their  chief  characteristics.  In  the  third 
chapter,  a  knowledge  of  the  meaning  and  use  of  words, 
both  on  the  part  of  Adam  and  that  of  Eve,  is  shown  by 
their  answers  to  the  interrogatories  which  were  ad- 
dressed to  them  ;  and  in  the  fourth  and  ensuing  chap- 
ters, the  same  knowledge  and  use  is  exhibited  in  re- 
spect to  Cain  and  Abel,  and  to  others  succeeding  them. 
Adam  was  created,  not  an  infant,  but  a  man ;  and 
as  such,  doubtless,  was  as  perfectly  endowed  with  the 
gift  of  speech  as  with  the  other  gifts  of  an  adult,  which 
qualified  him  for  his  station,  relations,  and  responsi- 
bilities as  a  rational,  social,  and  accountable  being. 
The  Scripture  narrative,  accordingly,  represents  him  as 
speaking  and  acting  as  a  man  from  the  first ;  as  speak- 
ing the  same  language  as  that  employed  by  the  Creator, 
in  giving  names  to  light  and  darkness,  to  the  firma- 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  71 

ment,  the  earth,  the  sea,  and  other  visible  objects,  and 
in  His  commands  and  instructions  to  the  primitive 
pair  and  their  descendants.  That  language,  therefore, 
which  was  so  used  prior  to  the  creation  of  Adam,  and 
waa  used  by  him  and  his  successors,  and  was  written 
by  Job,  and  by  Moses  and  the  prophets,  was  not  in- 
vented by  man  ;  and  the  sacred  history  shows  that  the 
progenitors  of  the  race  did  not  learn  it  by  slow  degrees 
like  children,  but  were  gifted  with  it  from  the  first  as 
perfectly  as  any  of  their  descendants  have  been  by  gra- 
dual acquisition. 

During  the  antediluvian  period,  and  up  to  the  date 
of  the  dispersion,  "  the  whole  earth  was  of  one  language 
and  of  one  speech."  The  descendants  of  Noah  had 
settled  in  Babylon,  and  probably  in  other  countries 
distant  from  Canaan.  In  Egypt,  which  was  contigu- 
ous to  Canaan,  the  tongue  of  the  Patriarchs  would  seem 
to  have  been  continued;  for  when  Abraham  visited 
that  country,  Pharaoh  and  the  people  understood  and 
spoke  the  same  language  with  him.  The  same  is  im- 
plied also  in  the  intercourse  of  Jacob,  Joseph,  Moses, 
and  others  with  subsequent  kings.  Whether  the  Egyp- 
tians wrote  the  Hebrew  language  then,  or  at  any  pe- 
riod, is  not  now  known.  Job,  however,  who  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  contemporary  with  Abraham,  wrote 
it,  and  in  a  style  not  inferior  to  that  of  Moses.  Pro- 
bably others  did  the  same  long  anterior  to  the  use  of 
hieroglyphs;  and  it  is  certain  that  the  Egyptians  used 
alphabetic  writing — the  epistolic — contemporaneously 
with  their  use  of  hieroglyphs. 

Prior  to  the  dispersion,  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
were  of  one  language  and  of  one  speech — literally,  were 


72  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

of  one  lip  and  one  word — had  one  mode  of  articulation, 
and  spoke  the  same  words.  The  confusion  of  tongues 
which  ensued  was,  probably,  the  effect  of  such  a  change 
in  the  articulation  of  the  words  previously  common  to 
them  all,  as  to  cause  various  and  to  different  parties, 
unintelligible  pronunciations.  This,  as  the  tribes  and 
families  were  dispersed  and  "  scattered  abroad  upon 
the  face  of  all  the  earth,"  would  result  in  a  diversity  of 
languages,  differing  more  or  less  widely  from  each 
other,  in  vocal  sound,  in  orthography,  and  in  the  al- 
phabetic letters,  syllables,  and  words,  or  other  chiro- 
graphic characters.  This  would  involve  nothing  like 
the  origination  of  any  new  language  ;  but  only  changes 
in  that  which  preexisted.  Those  who  lived  at  the  pe- 
riod of  the  dispersion  knew  the  signification  of  the 
words  previously  in  use,  and  either  continued  to  use 
the  same  with  a  different  pronunciation,  or  others  in 
place  of  them  with  the  same  meaning,  but  so  different 
in  sound  when  spoken,  and  in  orthography  and  chiro- 
graphic characters  when  written,  as  to  make  it  a  differ- 
ent language,  which,  being  taught  to  their  children, 
would  be  perpetuated. 

Thus  the  variety  of  languages  which  immediately 
ensued  upon  the  dispersion  would  naturally  result  with- 
out the  otherwise  necessary  lapse  of  years,  or  ages,  for 
a  new  invention.  The  subsequent  changes,  like  that 
from  ancient  to  modern  Greek,  and  from  Latin  to  Ital- 
ian, are  not  such  as  to  require  the  supposition  that  any 
new  or  original  language  has  ever  been  devised  by  man, 
And,  accordingly,  no  historical  notice  exists  of  any 
people  without  a  language,  or  of  any  people  that  ori- 
ginated one ;    though   in   every,  language  particular 


OF  THE   HOLY  B0BIFTUBE3.  73 

words  arc  dropped  from  use,  new  words  are  introduced, 
and  the  signification  of  some  words  has  undergone  a 
partial  or  a  total  change.  And  it  deserves  to  be  re- 
marked, as  strongly  implying  the  origin  of  all  the  dif- 
ferent languages  from  one  primitive  stock,  that  the  al- 
phabets of  the  different  nations  not  only  resemble  each 
other,  but,  for  the  most  part,  are  the  same  with  the 
Hebrew  in  respect  to  the  order,  power,  and  even  the 
forms  of  the  letters. 

The  fact  that  in  all  languages  the  letters  are  nearly 
the  same,  while  the  sounds  are  different,  coincides  with 
the  supposition  that  the  confusion  of  tongues  resulted 
from  a  change  of  pronunciation. 

There  are  some  three  thousand  languages  spoken  on 
the  earth,  between  which  there  is  so  much  of  resem- 
blance and  affinity  as  to  induce  the  conclusion  that 
they  are  all  varieties  of  one  original  tongue.  In  ortho- 
epy and  orthography  they  greatly  differ  ;  and  it  is  strik- 
ing to  observe  to  what  an  extent  the  difference  in  these 
respects  is  in  accordance  with  the  natural  effects  of  cli- 
mate, employments,  and  the  predominant  objects  of 
thought.  In  the  torrid  zone,  where  the  vocal  organs 
are  highly  and  uniformly  flexible,  the  language  is  soft, 
melodious,  and  surcharged  with  vowels.  In  colder 
zones,  and  increasingly  towards  the  polar  regions,  it  is 
harsh  and  guttural.  By  the  effect  of  climate,  of  expos- 
ure, of  new  employments,  and  of  new  objects  of  atten- 
tion, it  may  well  be  supposed  that  the  vocal  organs  and 
utterances  of  families  and  tribes  that  migrated  in  any 
direction  at  and  after  the  dispersion  recorded  in  Gene- 
sis, were  sufficiently  affected  to  account  for  the  varie- 
ties not  caused  by  that  event. 
3 


74  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

The  fact  that  foreign  words  are  adopted  and  incor- 
porated with  our  language  is  in  evidence  that  words 
are  simply  the  vehicle  and  representative  of  thought. 
For  they  are  adopted  not  as  signifying  things,  or  as 
sounds  to  which  we  may  assign  a  meaning,  but  solely 
for  the  sake  of  the  thoughts  which  they  convey. 
Hence,  as  nearly  as  possible,  words  entire,  in  their  pre- 
vious form  and  sound,  are  transferred  by  those  who 
know  the  thoughts  which  they  express,  and  who  can 
not  so  soon  or  so  well  express  the  same  thoughts  by 
new -coined  words  of  different  form  and  sound.  Thus, 
in  our  version  of  the  Scriptures  many  Hebrew  and 
Greek  words  are  transferred,  because  they  expressed 
thoughts  which  could  not  be  perfectly  conceived  or  ex- 
pressed in  any  existing  English  words.  Being  trans- 
ferred, and  by  usage  being  understood  as  conveying 
the  thoughts  which  they  expressed  in  the  original 
tongues,  it  would  be  easy  to  show,  and  is  indeed  obvious, 
that  no  substitution  of  English,  or  other  words,  could 
now  be  made  perfectly  to  express  the  same  thoughts. 

There  is  in  Pritchard's  Physiology  a  very  forcible 
argument  to  show  that  the  Hebrew  was  the  parent  of 
the  Semitic  tongues,  and  as  compared  with  the  other 
dialects  of  that  family,  and  still  more,  as  compared 
with  the  languages  of  the  Japhetic  and  other  races,  ex- 
hibits proofs  that  it  was  not,  as  they  evidently  were, 
the  growth  of  accidental  and  gradual  accretion,  that  its 
very  framework  displays  a  deep  conception  and  design, 
in  its  dissyllabic  roots,  of  which  the  three  consonants 
express  the  abstract  meaning — the  essential  or  leading 
sense  or  import,  while  all  the  relations  of  ideas  to  past 
and  future  time,  to  personal  agency  or  passion,  the  pos- 


OF   THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  75 

sible  or  real,  and  even  the  differences  of  nouns  and 
verbs,  are  denoted  by  changes  in  the  interior  vowels, 
which  the  words  themselves  were  obviously  intended 
in  their  original  formation  or  construction  to  undergo  : 
a  contrivance  which  implies  a  conception  and  previous 
contemplation  of  all  that  words,  when  invented,  can 
be  thought  capable  of  expressing ! 

Now  since,  from  a  comparison  of  the  several  ancient 
languages  the  inference  is  unavoidable  that  the  Hebrew 
was  the  primeval  tongue,  and  since  that  has  in  its  struc- 
ture certain  proofs  of  perfection  and  of  design  which  are 
wanting  to  the  other  tongues,  and  is  free  from  the  im- 
perfections which  characterize  them,  it  is  a  just  conclu- 
sion that  the  Hebrew  was  a  gift  to  man  at  his  creation, 
and  not  a  product  in  any  degree  of  his  contrivance,  or 
of  that  of  any  of  his  descendants. 

The  knowledge  and  use  of  words  then,  was  imparted 
to  the  primitive  pair  as  an  endowment  no  less  neces- 
sary to  man  as  a  thinking  and  social  being,  than  light 
was  to  his  seeing,  and  sound  to  his  hearing.  But  since 
words,  as  the  instruments  of  thinking,  and  vehicle  of 
thought,  consist  of  syllables  and  letters,  the  earliest 
writing  is  most  likely  to  have  been  by  means  of  alpha- 
betic characters,  as  corresponding  most  perfectly  to  the 
sounds  of  letters  and  syllables  and  their  combinations, 
to  the  organic  succession  of  thoughts,  and  to  the  indis- 
pensable rules  of  grammar.  Moreover,  the  primitive 
language,  like  other  primeval  endowments,  may  safely 
be  presumed  to  have  been  perfect ;  and  therefore,  as  it 
was  alphabetic,  that  the  earliest  chirographic  represent- 
ations of  it,  were  made  in  alphabetic  characters,  which 
arc  in  every  respect  more  perfect  than  picture  writing, 


76  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

hieroglyphs,  or  unsyllabic  marks.  This,  taking  the 
Hebrew,  in  the  absence  of  all  evidence  to  the  contrary, 
and  all  but  positive  demonstration  in  its  favor,  to  have 
baen  the  primeval  tongue,  is  confirmed  by  the  fact  that 
all  the  proper  names  recorded  by  Moses  as  of  antedilu- 
vian appropriation,  are  purely  Hebraic ;  while  the 
most  ancient  writings,  those  of  Job,  and  Moses,  are  in 
the  alphabetic  characters  of  that  language.  And 
though  imagined  by  some,  to  have  been  otherwise  than 
copious  in  words,  that  language  must  be  acknowledged 
to  have  been  far  more  affluent  and  various  than  all  the 
systems  of  picture  writing,  hieroglyphs,  and  unsyllabic 
marks  put  together ;  especially  with  reference  to  the 
great  themes  to  which  it  is  applied. 

All  the  difficulties  which  philosophers  and  theorists 
have  conjured  up  on  this  subject,  are  founded  in  the 
fanciful  assumptions  above  mentioned — that  the  race 
was  originally  launched  upon  its  career,  in  a  condition 
of  infantile  ignorance  and  barbarism,  and  that  the  first 
step  in  the  invention  of  language,  was  made,  in  some 
quarters,  by  picture  writing,  in  others,  by  hieroglyphs, 
and  in  still  others,  by  unsyllabic  marks.  The  first  of 
these  assumptions,  as  has  been  shown,  is  at  war  with 
the  Sacred  Kecord.  The  others  imply,  what  is  absurd, 
that  men  in  their  efforts  to  invent  language,  attempted 
to  communicate  their  thoughts  to  each  other  by  pic- 
tures, hieroglyphs,  and  marks,  before  they  conversed 
by  vocally  uttering  their  thoughts  in  words.  Whereas 
•  it  is  not  more  certain  that  they  think  in  words,  than 
that  they  must  possess  words  prior  to  such  thinking  as 
they  aim  to  represent  by  pictures,  hieroglyphs,  and 
marks.     But  if  they  have  words,  and  employ  them  as 


OF   THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  77 

the  vehicle  of  their  thoughts,  they  have  the  power 
which  none  ever  failed  to  exercise,  of  expressing  them 
by  the  voice  in  advance  of  any  species  of  writing. 
And  since  words  are  alphabetic  and  syllabic,  the  first, 
most  natural,  and  most  perfect  mode  of  representing 
them  on  paper,  must  needs  have  been  by  alphabetic 
characters. 

In  the  nature  of  the  case,  therefore,  picture  writing 
is  an  evidence  of  the  greatest  paucity  of  words,  and 
equally  an  evidence  of  extreme  ignorance  and  degene- 
racy. Hieroglyphs  and  non-alphabetic  marks,  imply 
the  same  things  in  a  less  degree,  and  alphabetic  cha- 
racters in  a  far  less  degree  than  either.  And  that  such 
was  the  course  of  things,  and  the  relative  place  of  these 
several  methods,  is  evident  from  the  facts,  that  the 
Mexicans  were  in  the  use  of  a  spoken  language  con- 
temporaneously with  their  use  of  pictures;  that  the 
Egyptians  had  a  spoken  language  shortly  after  the  dis- 
persion, and  prior,  no  doubt,  to  their  use  of  hiero- 
glyphs ;  and  that  the  Chinese  have  a  spoken,  as  well 
as  a  non-alphabetic  written  language.  And  it  may, 
without  hesitation,  be  concluded,  that  the  Mexicans 
had  recourse  to  pictures,  and  the  Chinese  to  arbitrary 
marks,  because  of  their  ignorance  of  any  alphabet ; 
and  that  the  Egpptians  employed  hieroglyphs  either 
for  the  same  reason,  or  for  purposes  of  secresy.  For 
to  suppose  any  race  or  class  of  people  to  have  in  use  a 
spoken  language,  commensurate,  as  of  course  it  would 
be,  to  all  their  thoughts,  and  then  to  suppose  them  to 
invent,  as  a  means  of  recording  their  thoughts,  a  sys- 
tem of  hieroglyphs  which,  according  to  the  theory  here 
opposed,  stood  for  things  and  not  for  words,  and  which 


78  THE   PLENAEY  INSPIRATION 

on  any  view  could  have  represented  but  a  part  of  what 
was  expressed  in  their  articulate  language,  implies 
either  that  they  had  no  knowledge  of  any  alphabet,  or 
that  their  object  was  concealment. 

Language,  as  the  instrument  of  thought,  being  an 
original  gift  from  the  Creator,  and  commensurate  in 
copiousness  and  significance,  with  the  thoughts  to  be 
expressed,  and  as  perfect  as  the  faculties  of  seeing  and 
hearing,  would  doubtless  have  continued  without 
change,  had  man  continued  in  his  primeval  state.  The 
scriptural  is  the  only  historical,  and  the  only  rational 
account  we  have  of  the  occasion  of  its  becoming  cor- 
rupt. To  the  rebellious  conduct  of  fallen  man,  the 
confusion  of  speech  and  the  consequent  variety  of  dis- 
similar tongues  is  directly  ascribed ;  and  to  the  depra- 
vity and  wickedness  of  man  all  the  perversions  and 
corruptions  of  language  are  to  be  traced. 

To  the  preceding  observations  concerning  the  origin 
of  language,  and  the  Hebrew  as  the  primeval  tongue, 
it  is  in  point  to  refer  to  the  knowledge  and  use  of  lan- 
guage by  angelic  beings.  That  those  intelligences  have 
the  faculty  of  speech,  is  shown  both  in  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,  by  numerous  records  of  what  they 
said.  They  spoke  the  same  language  as  the  men  whom 
they  addressed,  or  who  heard  their  voices ;  and  often 
concerning  things  not  within  their  own  experience  or 
previous  knowledge,  and  which  required  words  which 
they  could  not  have  invented.  The  patriarchs,  pro- 
phets, and  others  under  the  ancient  dispensation,  un- 
derstood them.  The  language  which  they  used,  was 
the  same  with  that  which  Moses  spoke  and  wrote,  in 
respect  to  vocal  sounds,  articulation,  and  significance. 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  79 

lie  quotes  their  words,  represents  that  their  voices 
were  heard,  and  their  meaning  understood.  In  the 
New  Testament,  their  words  are  quoted  in  the  Greek 
tongue,  in  which,  in  the  Apocalypse,  they  are  repre- 
sented as  uniting  with  the  redeemed,  and  the  unfallen 
hosts  in  heaven,  in  doxologies  and  hymns  of  praise. 
They  were  bearers  of  Divine  messages  to  men,  inter- 
preters of  prophetic  symbols — see  Daniel  and  Bevela- 
tion — and  exercised  a  ministry  towards  the  heirs  of 
salvation,  which  required  the  knowledge  and  use  of 
words. 

In  every  view  of  the  case,  it  is  plain,  that  had  not 
language  been  a  primeval  gift,  no  intercourse  could 
have  taken  place  between  man  and  his  Creator,  till  the 
mute  and  helpless  infant,  forced  by  his  physical  neces- 
sities, had  performed  a  transcendent  and  unrivalled 
wonder,  by  inventing  words  whereby  both  to  give  ut- 
terance to  his  own  thoughts,  and  to  receive  divine  in- 
struction. But  even  then,  the  pressure  of  physical 
wants  would  not  have  prompted  the  invention  of  words 
for  which  he  had  no  answerable  thoughts — words  ex- 
pressive of  what  he  was  to  believe  concerning  Grod,  and 
what  duties  were  required  of  him — words  as  necessa- 
rily to  be  inspired  into  his  mind  by  the  Author  of  his 
being,  as  the  thoughts  conveyed  by  revelation  con- 
cerning things  not  within  the  observation  of  his  senses. 
The  fact,  therefore,  that  Divine  revelations  are  made 
in  words,  and  convey  thoughts  which  man  is  utterly 
incompetent  to  discover,  demonstrates  that  language 
was  not  of  man's  invention. 

The  theories  of  Harris,  (Hermes,)  Monboddo,  Astle, 
and  others,  who  assume  that  man  was  as  speechless  as 


80  TIIE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

an  infant,  till  he  invented  a  language  for  himself,  ac- 
cordingly involve,  in  respect  to  all  the  details  of  his 
progress,  the  most  preposterous  suppositions.  For 
those  theories,  notwithstanding  that  they  contemplate 
man  as  continuing  in  his  infantile  condition  of  ignor- 
ance and  helplessness  up  to  the  time  of  his  success  in 
the  invention  of  language,  nevertheless  suppose  him  to 
have  foreseen  the  fitness  and  competency  of  words  to 
enable  him  to  distinguish  different  things  and  express 
different  thoughts  ;  which  implies  as  much  intelligence 
and  discernment  concerning  the  powers  of  letters,  their 
organic  formation,  the  combination  of  them  in  the 
formation  of  syllables,  and  of  syllables  in  the  forma- 
tion of  words,  and  all  that  belongs  to  the  {mrts  of 
speech  and  the  relations  of  the  words  required  to  form 
intelligible  sentences,  as  he  would  have  after  he  had 
completed  his  invention  ;  and,  indeed,  as  much  think- 
ing and  as  real  a  knowledge  of  words  beforehand,  as 
it  was  the  object  of  his  invention  to  supply.  But  when 
the  infant  had  invented  letters,  articulation,  syllables, 
words,  and  grammar,  he  would  have  accomplished  no- 
thing to  his  purpose — according  to  these  theories — till 
he  had  assembled  a  convention  of  all  the  infants  of  his 
time,  to  discuss  what  he  had  done  and  to  agree  on  the 
meaning  to  be  affixed  to  the  respective  words  of  his 
vocabulary.  On  the  assumption  that  such  a  conven- 
tion of  mute  imbeciles  was  held,  to  affix  a  meaning  to 
sounds  before  they  employed  them  as  words,  it  might 
be  reasonable  to  conclude  that  they  woidd  pass  resolu- 
tions in  the  very  terms  employed  by  the  writers  above 
referred  to — whose  theories  to  that  extent,  may  have  a 
claim  to  be  respected:  such  as,  that  "  articulate  voices 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCKIPTURES.  81 

are  the  first  advances  towards  the  formation  of  lan- 
guage." And  that,  "  It  being  difficult  to  convey  new 
ideas  by  sounds  alone,  and  man  being  by  nature  imi- 
tative, therefore,  an  invention  of  writing  is  necessary." 
And  at  that  stage  of  their  progress  they  would  be 
likely  to  resolve  that  pictures  would  in  the  nature  of 
things,  be  the  most  perfect  kind  of  writing,  because 
pictures  would  naturally  stand  for  things  themselves, 
and  visibly  represent  them. 

The  notion  that  man  commenced  his  career  in  an 
infantile  state,  and  slowly  groped  his  way  to  the  use  of 
speech,  in  a  condition  far  inferior,  as  it  must  have  been 
to  that  of  animals,  with  their  natural  instincts,  and 
their  sensational  language,  has  assisted  to  give  a  color 
of  plausibility  to  the  no  less  preposterous  notion,  that 
on  account  of  his  ignorance  and  barbarism,  Divine 
revelations  were  so  long  deferred,  and  then  given  at  in- 
tervals, as  by  his  progress  in  knowledge  and  civiliza- 
tion he  became  prepared  to  receive  them ;  a  notion 
which  implies  that,  until  he  had  prepared  himself  by 
the  invention  of  language,  to  receive  a  revelation,  he 
had  no  moral  character,  and  was  subject  to  no  moral 
government ;  that  the  Creator  had  no  claims  upon  him 
as  an  accountable  creature,  and  took  no  measures  to 
instruct,  assist,  or  restrain  him.  "What  the  first  reve- 
lations might  have  been  upon  this  theory,  or  of  what  use 
they  could  have  been  till  they  embraced  every  thing- 
essential  to  be  known  by  man,  in  order  to  his  faith  and 
obedience,  no  one  can  tell.  The  bare  statement  of  a 
supposition  that  the  Creator  made  a  revelation  to  the 
first  man,  or  to  any  of  his  descendants,  which  did  not 
convey  the  essential  truths  to  be  believed,  and  enjoin 
4* 


82  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

the  essential  duties  to  be  performed,  is  sufficient  to  re- 
fute it.  Any  thing  short  of  that,  would  be  as  incon- 
sistent with  the  character  of  the  Being  to  be  worship- 
ped and  obeyed,  as  with  the  relations,  necessities,  and 
duties  of  man.  If  as  a  creature  naturally  ignorant, 
yet  rational  and  responsible,  man  needed  a  revelation, 
he  needed  it  as  urgently  at  the  outset  of  his  existence 
as  at  any  later  period ;  and  if  there  were  reasons  why 
the  Divine  goodness  should  at  any  period  teach  him 
what  it  was  essential  to  him  to  know,  and  what  he 
could  not  otherwise  learn,  those  reasons  must  have 
been  as  imperative  at  the  beginning,  as  at  any  subse- 
quent stage  of  his  existence. 

Closely  allied  to  the  notion  above  referred  to,  that 
revelations  from  the  Creator  depended  upon  man's  prior 
invention  of  language  and  improvement  in  civilization, 
is  the  no  less  absurd  notion  that  man  was  left,  in  his 
natural  state  as  a  creature,  to  discover  the  doctrines  and 
practise  the  duties  of  natural  religion,  as  well  as  to  in- 
vent a  language.  But  whoever  considers  what  natural 
religion  is — that  it  involves  right  apprehensions  of  the 
nature  and  perfections  of  the  Divine  Being,  and  of  our 
relations  to  Him,  and  to  one  another,  and  enjoins  cer- 
tain duties  towards  Him,  our  fellow-creatures,  and  our- 
selves, must  be  convinced  that  a  discovery  of  its  teach- 
ings implies  omniscience  as  truly  as  any  thing  con- 
tained in  the  written  Scriptures.  Those  teachings  re- 
quired not  only  to  be  correct,  but  to  be  authoritative, 
and  to  be  comprehensive  and  ample  enough  for  the 
guidance  of  men  in  their  worship,  in  their  social  rela- 
tions, and  as  subjects  of  the  Divine  Government.  From 
the  nature  of  the  case,  therefore,  whether  men  were 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  83 

originally  ignorant  and  barbarous  or  not,  the  conclu- 
sion is  unavoidable,  that  those  teachings  never  origi- 
nated with  them,  but  were  imparted  by  the  omniscient 
Creator  and  Kulcr  of  men.  They  accordingly  com- 
prise nothing  which  is  not  more  clearly  taught  in  the 
written  Scriptures.  Having  been  imparted  to  the  pro- 
genitors of  the  race  when  called  to  act  in  their  prime- 
val relations,  and  having  been,  with  many  added  truths 
concerning  the  fallen  condition  of  the  race,  familiar  to 
Noah  and  his  contemporaries,  they  have  been  preserved 
even  among  pagans,  with  more  or  less  distinctness, 
down  to  the  present  day.  To  those  to  whom  the  writ- 
ten Scriptures  were  not  imparted,  the  truths  of  natural 
religion  handed  down  by  tradition  from  age  to  age, 
have,  in  proportion  as  they  have  been  retained,  formed 
the  rule  of  natural  conscience,  and  the  sanction  of  na- 
tural law  and  government.  The  superadded  and  pe- 
culiar teachings  of  the  written  Scriptures,  relate  not  to 
man  in  his  original  and  natural  state,  but  to  his  altered 
and  peculiar  character  and  exigencies  as  a  fallen  crea- 
ture, and  to  the  method  of  his  recovery  ;  so  that  they 
contain  all  the  earlier  oral  revelations  which  belong  to 
natural  religion,  and  new  revelations  vouchsafed  and 
written  from  time  to  time,  as  the  dispensations  of  the 
redemptive  scheme  were  carried  forward. 

If  now  we  turn  to  the  introductory  portion  of  the 
written  word,  which  records  the  creation  of  man  and 
gives  sketches  of  his  history  down  to  the  exodus  from 
Egypt,  we  find  in  those  brief  recitals  the  doctrines  and 
injunctions  of  natural  religion  concerning  God,  and 
concerning  man  in  his  personal,  social,  and  civil  rela- 
tions, clearly  recognized  and  expressed,  in  connection 


84  THE  PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

with  doctrines  and  predictions  superadded  to  the  pri- 
meval and  natural  system,  and  relating  to  the  method 
of  his  redemption.  We  find  that  Adam  received  oral 
instructions  prior  to  his  fall,  and  that  after  that  event, 
further  communications  were  made  personally  to  him, 
to  Abel,  Enoch,  Noah,  and  others  ;  and  that  Abraham 
and  other  patriarchs  were  directly  taught  by  the  great 
Kevealer,  the  peculiar  truths  of  revealed,  in  distinction 
from  natural  religion,  so  that  their  faith  was  the  same, 
and  of  like  efficacy,  with  that  of  the  apostles  and  fol- 
lowers of  Christ. 

The  reason,  therefore,  why  it  was  at  sundry  times, 
and  in  divers  manners  that  God  spake  in  times  past  to 
the  fathers  by  the  prophets,  and  at  a  later  period  by 
His  Son,  the  Scriptures  as  written  in  successive  por- 
tions, was  not  founded  in  the  nature  or  the  primeval 
condition  of  man,  his  original  ignorance,  his  defect  of 
language,  his  barbarism,  or  in  any  thing  concerning 
his  progress  from  infancy  to  a  mature  and  cultivated 
state  and  character.  If  a  Divine  Revelation  was  ever 
to  be  made  to  him,  he  was  as  capable  of  receiving  it  at 
one  time  as  at  any  other  ;  for  doubtless  He  who  made 
man's  mouth,  could  put  words  into  it  at  His  pleasure. 
And  if  the  first  chapters  of  Genesis  were  inspired,  it  is 
past  all  question  that  Divine  Revelations  were  made  to 
him  before,  and  to  him  and  his  descendants  immedi- 
ately, and  from  time  to  time,  after  the  fall.  The  insti- 
tutions of  the  Sabbath  day,  and  of  marriage,  those 
concerning  the  means  of  subsistence,  dominion  over 
inferior  creatures,  the  conditions  of  continued  residence 
in  Eden,  the  ritual  of  piacular  sacrifices  and  of  accept- 
able faith,  homage,  and  obedience — these  were  coeval 


OF   THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  85 

with  the  first  clays  and  years  of  man's  existence.  In- 
deed all  such  revelations,  instructions,  and  institutions, 
were  then  known,  as  were  requisite  to  the  formation 
of  some  of  the  chief  model  characters  of  the  Bible,  as 
signalized  and  held  up  for  imitation  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment ;  as  that  of  Abel,  the  second  son  of  Adam,  who 
"  obtained  witness  that  he  was  righteous,  God  testify- 
ing of  his  gifts,  and  who  being  dead,  yet  speaketh  ;" 
that  of  Enoch,  a  prophet,  the  seventh  from  Adam,  who 
"  before  his  translation  had  this  testimony,  that  he 
pleased  God ;"  and  that  of  Noah,  the  tenth  from  Adam, 
who  walked  with  God,  and  was  an  "  heir  of  the  right- 
eousness which  is  by  faith." 


THE   PLENAEY  INSPIRATION 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THE    NATURE    AND   REALITY    OF    INSPIRATION    ILLUS- 
TRATED  BY  REFERENCES   TO   THE   SCRIPTURES. 

Both  the  reality  and  nature  of  Inspiration  are 
strikingly  exhibited  in  the  commencement  of  the 
sacred  volume.  Of  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis, 
sixteen  verses  consist  wholly  or  chiefly  of  what  is 
recorded  as  having  been  spoken  by  the  Creator ; 
twelve  verses  relate  what  was  done  by  Him,  and  the 
immediate  effects  of  His  acts;  and  the  three  remain- 
ing verses  merely  record  the  occurrence  of  the  success- 
ive days.  All  the  words  of  this  chapter,  equally  with 
those  of  them  which  are  declared  to  have  been  spoken 
by  the  Creator  at  the  time,  and  as  He  proceeded  with 
the  work  of  creation,  must  have  been  inspired  into  the 
mind  of  Moses  as  he  wrote  them ;  for  otherwise  he 
could  not  possibly  know  what  words  had  been  so 
spoken,  or  what  particular  things  were  done,  or  what 
was  the  order  and  succession  of  the  acts  recorded. 
And  if  Adam,  as  the  subsequent  narrative  implies,  un- 
derstood those  words,  the  knowledge  of  them  must 
have  been  conveyed  to  him  by  an  immediate  inspira- 
tion of  thoughts  in  words.  For  twenty-seven  of  the 
verses  relate  to  what  was  said  and  done  prior  to  his 


OF   THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  87 

existence ;  so  that  no  being  but  the  Creator  Himself 
could  possibly,  then  or  afterwards,  impart  to  him  or  to 
others,  a  knowledge  of  the  sounds,  or  of  the  meaning 
of  those  words.  The  three  verses  which  succeed  the 
t  w<  nty-seventh  are  expressly  addressed  to  him,  and  must 
have  been  understood  by  him  ;  for  they  command  him 
to  replenish  and  subdue  the  earth,  and  invest  him  with 
dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  the  fowls  of  the  air, 
and  every  living  thing  that  moveth  on  the  earth  ;  and 
instruct  him  as  to  the  herbs  and  fruits  which  he  was  to 
subsist  on,  and  the  herbs  by  which  the  inferior  animals 
were  to  be  sustained.  They  express  not  only  the 
names  of  visible  objects — as  the  earth,  the  sea,  fish, 
fowls,  animals,  trees,  herbs,  seeds,  etc.,  but  various  acts 
and  conditions — blessing,  fruitful,  multiply,  replenish, 
subdue,  dominion  over,  living,  moving,  creeping,  bear- 
ing, fruit,  yielding,  giving,  life,  living.  Doubtless 
when  he  first  heard  the  sound  of  these  words  he  must 
have  been  enabled  to  comprehend  the  meaning  of  them 
in  the  connections  and  relations  in  which  they  are  re- 
corded. They  were  spoken  to  him  immediately  after 
he  became  a  living  soul.  They  prescribed  to  him 
what  he  was  to  do,  and  what  relation  he  was  to  sustain 
to  the  inferior  creation.  He  was  created  in  the  imago 
of  God,  who  announced  before  He  created  him  that  he 
should  have  dominion  over  all  the  earth  with  its  teem- 
ing races.  To  suppose  that  the  words  were  not  audi 
bly  spoken,  would  be  to  deny  the  authenticity  of  the 
record.  To  suppose  that  he  did  not  understand  them, 
would  be  to  impute  folly  to  the  Creator  in  speaking 
them.  To  suppose  that  the  thoughts  expressed  wore 
conveyed  to  him  without  the  words,  would  be  to  con- 


88  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

tradict  that  law  by  which  rational  creatures  are  con- 
scious of  thinking  and  communicating  their  thoughts 
to  one  another  in  words.  But  if  the  words  were  spoken, 
and  if  Adam  understood  them,  then  he  did  not  invent 
the  language,  nor  learn  it  by  slow  degrees  like  a  child, 
but,  as  an  adult  of  mature  faculties,  was  endowed  with 
a  comprehensive  and  accurate  knowledge  of  all  the 
words  uttered  in  his  hearing,  and  all  that  he  had  from 
time  to  time  occasion  to  use.  The  first  words  spoken 
to  him  by  the  Creator,  undoubtedly  conveyed  a  defi- 
nite and  intelligible  meaning,  which  on  hearing  the 
vocal  utterance,  he  could  not  mistake.  In  thinking  of 
that  meaning  afterwards,  he  would  necessarily  think  in 
the  words  which  had  been  spoken ;  for  if  those  were  the 
first  words  uttered  in  his  hearing,  he  could  then  have 
had  no  knowledge  of  other  and  equivalent  words.  The 
conveyance  of  the  thoughts  with  the  words  into  his 
mind  must  have  been  equivalent  in  effect  and  in  re- 
spect to  his  faculties  and  his  mode  of  receiving  and  be- 
ing conscious  of  thoughts,  to  the  conveyance  of  the 
same  thoughts  and  words  into  the  mind  of  Moses,  by 
Inspiration. 

Such  accurate  knowledge,  on  his  part,  of  the  sounds, 
meanings,  and  uses  of  words,  is  indubitably  evident 
from  the  ensuing  narrative,  in  the  second  and  third 
chapters,  where  among  other  things,  are  recorded  the 
apostasy  of  man  and  the  consequences  of  it,  which  are 
attested  by  all  history — the  sin,  which  brought  death, 
degradation,  and  misery  in  its  train,  and  gave  occasion 
to  the  subsequent  revelations,  to  the  work  of  redemp- 
tion, and  to  the  institutions  of  religion. 

That  Adam  clearly  understood  the  terms  of  the  pro- 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  89 

hibition  which  he  transgressed,  the  meaning  of  the 
words  spoken  to  him  after  his  transgression,  the  curse 
pronounced  upon  the  earth,  the  denunciation  of  sorrow, 
toil,  and  death  upon  himself,  the  reason  of  his  expul- 
sion from  the  garden,  and  the  words  which  in  his 
altered  condition,  he  then  employed  for  the  first  time, 
must  undoubtedly  be  admitted,  or  the  whole  record 
must  be  rejected  as  a  fable,  and  the  historical  and  ac- 
tual condition  of  the  race  must  be  regarded  as  an  inex- 
plicable mystery. 

In  like  manner,  in  the  fourth  chapter,  the  words 
spoken  by  Jehovah  to  Cain,  are  shown  to  have  been 
correctly  understood  by  him,  by  the  words  which  he 
uttered  in  reply ;  though  from  the  peculiarity  of  the 
matters  referred  to,  most  of  the  words  employed  on  the 
occasion,  must  have  been  spoken  then  for  the  first  time. 

It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  earliest  descend- 
ants of  Adam  were  instructed  by  him  in  respect  to  the 
sounds  and  significations  of  all  the  words  brought  to 
his  knowledge ;  and  that  as  new  subjects  and  occasions 
arose  in  the  experience  of  particular  individuals,  de- 
manding the  use  of  new  words,  the  requisite  knowledge 
of  them  was  imparted.  This  accordingly  is  indicated 
in  numerous  instances.  Thus  Enoch,  the  seventh  from 
Adam,  prophesied  of  times  and  events  long  future, 
"  Saying,"  as  quoted  by  Jude,  "  Behold  the  Lord 
cometh  with  ten  thousand  of  his  saints,"  etc.,  using 
words,  doubtless  which  he  neither  learned  from  his  con- 
temporaries, nor  invented  himself.  Noah  received 
particular  verbal  revelations  concerning  the  Deluge 
and  the  Ark,  in  words  for  which  there  had  been  no  pre- 
vious occasion,  but  which  he  was  enabled  to  under- 


90  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

stand.  So  with  Abraham,  Moses,  and  the  prophets. 
When  Moses  objected  to  being  sent  to  Pharaoh  to 
deliver  the  messages  of  Jehovah,  that  he  was  slow  of 
speech  and  not  a  man  of  words,  "Jehovah  said  unto 
him,  Who  hath  made  man's  mouth  ? — go  and  I  will  be 
with  thj  mouth,  and  teach  thee  what  thou  shalt  say — 
and  thou  shalt  speak  unto  Aaron,  and  put  words  into 
his  mouth,  and  I  will  be  with  thy  mouth,  and  with  his 
mouth,  and  will  teach  you  what  ye  shall  do — and 
thou  shalt  be  to  him  instead  of  God."  The  method  of 
revelations,  and  of  imparting  the  knowledge  of  words, 
is  thus  illustrated.  The  verbal  communications  were 
to  be  made  by  Jehovah  to  Moses,  and  by  Moses  to 
Aaron. 

Besides  the  great  facts,  doctrines,  commands,  promises, 
and  predictions  of  the  Bible  which  are  expressed  in  the 
words  of  the  Revealer,  and  together  constitute  the  larger 
part  of  the  inspired  Scriptures,  there  are  numerous  in- 
stances of  particular  verbal  directions  respecting  the  con- 
duct of  individuals,  classes,  and  communities  of  men, 
under  novel  circumstances,  and  when  charged  with  new 
and  peculiar  duties.  Thus,  particular  verbal  directions 
were  repeatedly  given  to  Abaham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Moses, 
Joshua,  David,  and  many  others,  which  to  a  greater  or 
less  extent  undoubtedly  required  words  not  previously 
known  to  them,  but  which  it  was  necessary  that  they 
should  comprehend.  The  entire  ritual  of  the  Levitical 
service  was  detailed  to  Moses  in  words,  and  by  liim 
written  out  for  the  guidance  of  the  Priests,  the  Levites, 
and  the  congregation.  All  the  details  concerning  the 
form,  dimensions,  materials,  workmanship,  and  furni- 
ture of  the  Tabernacle,  were  in  like  manner  verbally 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCEIPTURES.  91 

expressed  to  Moses  and  written  down  by  him.  Those 
details  involved  the  use  of  a  great  variety  of  new 
words  ;  to  understand  which,  so  as  to  execute  the  sev- 
eral parts  of  the  work,  in  exact  conformity  with  the 
directions,  'wisdom,  understanding,  and  knowledge, 
were  imparted  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  to  Bezaleel  and 
Aholiab,  in  particular,  and  to  every  wise-hearted  man, 
in  whose  heart  the  Lord  had  put  wisdom,'  to  execute 
what  was  prescribed.  At  the  close  of  these  instruc- 
tions— Exod.  25-31 — Jehovah  gave  to  Moses  "  two 
tables  of  stone,  written  with  the  finger  of  God."  "  The 
writing  was  the  writing  of  God,  graven  upon  the  two 
tables." 

That  alphabetic  writing  was  then  in  use  among  the 
Hebrews,  and  was  understood  by  the  people  generally, 
may  be  gathered,  not  only  from  this  example,  in  which 
the  vocal  sounds  uttered  from  Mount  Sinai  in  their 
hearing,  were  represented  in  writing  on  the  Tables  for 
general  and  permanent  use,  but  from  earlier  notices. 
At  the  close  of  the  laws  and  ordinances  which  were 
proclaimed  from  Sinai — Exod.  20-24 — Moses,  it  is 
said,  "  wrote  all  the  words  of  the  Lord."  In  chap. 
17 :  14,  The  Lord  said  to  Moses,  "  Write  this  for  a  memo- 
rial in  a  book."  The  Signet  of  Judah,  mentioned 
Gen.  38,  was,  doubtless,  like  other  signets,  engraved, 
and  bore,  at  least,  the  initials  of  his  name ;  by  which 
its  ownership  was  determined. — See  Exod.  28  and  39. 
The  expressions  of  Job,  chap.  19  :  23,  24 :  "Oh!  that  my 
words  were  now  written — that  they  were  graven  with 
an  iron  pen — in  the  rock  forever" — imply  the  use  of 
writing  in  the  patriarchal  age,  of  which,  indeed,  the 
Book  of  Job  itself  is  a  notable  evidence.     And  the 


92  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

word  translated  Book,  Gen.  5 :  1,  indicates  by  its  use 
elsewhere,  that  the  genealogy  was  recorded  at  the  time 
referred  to. 

Again :  the  minute  description  1  Chron.  28,  of  the 
temple  to  be  erected  by  Solomon,  and  of  the  materials 
of  all  its  furniture,  is  an  instance  of  the  introduction 
of  new  words  by  inspiration.  David  gave  to  Solomon 
the  patterns  of  all  that  "  he  had  by  the  Spirit,  of  the 
courts,"  and  in  "all  this,  said  David"' — after  specifying 
the  particulars — "the  Lord  made  me  understand  in  writ- 
ing, by  His  hand  upon  me,  even  all  the  works  of  this  pattern." 
Probably  he  immediately  wrote  down  the  details,  as 
the  Spirit  inspired  the  words  of  the  description  into 
his  mind  and  moved  him  to  write. 

These  examples  are  in  accordance  with  the  earliest 
intimations  in  secular  history  respecting  the  use  of 
words :  namely,  that  they  represented  through  the  eye, 
when  written,  the  vocal  sounds  audibly  enunciated  as 
expressions  of  thought.  When  a  word  was  written,  it 
was  that  to  the  eye  which  articulate  sound  was  to  the 
ear  ;  and  articulate  sound  was  to  the  ear  what  the  word 
unspoken  was  to  the  mind,  as  the  instrument  of 
thought. 

Hence  the  order  in  which  thinking,  speaking,  and 
the  several  kinds  of  writing  succeeded  each  other. 
First :  learning  the  sounds  and  meanings  of  words  by 
hearing.  Second:  consciously  thinking  in  words.  Third: 
the  articulate  vocal  utterance  of  words.  Fourth :  the 
writing  of  the  words  in  alphabetic  characters.  Fifth : 
the  representation  of  them  by  significant  acts.  Sixth : 
the  representation  of  them  by  unsyllabic  marks  and 
hieroglyphs ;  and  Seventh :  by  pictorial  representations. 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  93 

Man,  as  created,  was  perfect.  But  without  the  power 
of  articulate  speech,  he  would  be  no  more  perfect  as  an 
intelligent  being,  than  animals  would  be  without  eyes 
and  ears.  His  mind  was  so  constituted  that  he  can 
think ;  and  his  vocal  organs  were  so  constituted  that 
he  can  speak.  But  he  can  no  more  think,  except  in 
words,  than  he  can  articulate  intelligible  words  which 
express  no  thoughts.  lie  was  so  constituted  as  to  re- 
ceive thoughts  in  words,  by  hearing,  by  reading,  and 
by  inspiration — to  be  conscious  of  them — to  remember 
them — to  express  by  vocal  articulation  the  words  re- 
ceived— to  conceive  thoughts  in  words,  and  by  speak- 
ing and  writing  to  convey  them  to  others.  But  origi- 
nally, as  now,  words  were  prerequisite  to  his  conception 
of  thoughts ;  his  first  words  and  thoughts,  therefore, 
must  have  been  imparted  to  him  by  inspiration. 

When  we  open  our  eyes  upon  an  object,  a  tree,  for 
example,  a  perfect  daguerreotype  of  it  is  depicted  on 
the  retina,  with  which  the  mind  is  in  immediate  con- 
tact. That  reflected  image  is  an  indispensable  condi- 
tion of  perception  by  sight.  When  we  hear  the  name  of 
the  object  there  is  an  impression  on  the  tympanum, 
equivalent  in  effect  to  the  image  on  the  retina.  When, 
without  seeing  it  or  hearing  its  name,  we  think  of  the 
object,  the  intellectual  conception  is  embodied  in  the 
word  by  which  it  is  named — the  articulate  vocal  sound 
which  had  vibrated  on  the  ear.  When  we  write  or 
read  the  name,  the  same  intellectual  effect  results  as 
from  the  visual  image  on  the  retina,  and  the  vocal 
articulation  combined. 

Thus  the  senses  are  organically  instrumental  to  the 
cogitations  of  the  intellect.     But  inasmuch  as  we  are 


94  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

not  conscious  of  the  image  depicted  on  the  retina,  and 
therefore,  though  it  be  in  immediate  contact  with  the 
mind,  we  can  not  recall  it  by  memory  ;  and  inasmuch 
as  sight  depends  on  the  presence  of  light  and  of  visible 
objects,  which  conditions  are  often  wanting ;  it  is  not 
by  that  image  that  the  intellect  conceives  thoughts,  but 
by  words,  of  which  we  are  conscious,  which  we  re- 
member, and  which,  when  we  speak  or  write,  convey 
our  thoughts  to  others.  The  act  of  thinking,  accord- 
ingly, both  in  adults  and  in  children,  involves  a  pre- 
vious knowledge  and  recollection  of  words — words 
learned  by  oral  or  literary  instruction,  or  received  by 
inspiration — as  the  medium  and  instrument  of  thought. 
We  see  things  indeed,  but  seeing  is  not  thinking.  "We 
think  of  what  we  see  in  the  words  which  describe  it. 
When  we  see  a  new  object — a  plant  or  an  animal — of 
which  we  neither  know  the  nature  nor  the  name,  we 
think  of  it  in  words  which  assign  it  to  some  class  or 
species,  or  words  which  describe  it  as  unknown,  and 
merely  signify  our  ignorance. 

Illustrations  of  the  nature  and  reality  of  Divine  In- 
spiration, similar  to  those  which  have  been  adduced, 
might  easily  be  cited,  were  it  deemed  to  be  necessary, 
from  every  part  of  the  writings  of  the  Prophets  and  of 
the  Apostles  and  Evangelists. 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  95 


CHAPTER    VII. 

THE  INSPIRATION  OF  THE  WORDS  OF  SCRIPTURE  INTO 
THE  MINDS  OF  THE  SACRED  WRITERS  EXPRESSLY 
TAUGHT  BY  THEM — THEIR  STYLES  AND  IDIOMS — THE 
PERSONAL  TEACHINGS  OF  MESSIAH  THE  GREAT  RE- 
VEALER. 

The  great  commission  of  our  Lord  to  His  Apostles, 
enjoined  them  to  teach  to  others  only  what  He  com- 
manded. Go  ye  and  teach  all  nations — to  observe  all 
things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you.  (Matt.  28.) 
But  He  had  inculcated  and  prescribed  His  doctrines 
and  commands  in  words  spoken  to  them ;  and  what 
He  now  enjoins  is  equivalent  to  saying :  Gro  and  teach 
all  nations  all  the  words  ye  have  heard  from  Me.  Sub- 
sequently, John  14,  He  promised  them  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  should  teach  them  all  things,  and  bring  all  things  to 
their  remembrance,  whatsoever  He  had  spoken  unto  them. 
But  those  things  as  spoken  by  Him  included  the  words 
which  He  uttered,  and  could  not  be  brought  to  their 
remembrance,  or  taught  to  others,  disconnected  from 
the  words.  To  the  like  effect,  He  said  on  another  occa- 
sion, John  12 :  He  that  rejectelh  Me,  and  receiveth  not 
Mi/  nords,  hath  one  that  judgelh  him.  The  Word  that  I 
have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the  hst  day  ; 


96  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

which  clearly  implies,  that  the  words  as  spoken  by 
Him  and  understood  by  the  people,  correctly  and  per- 
fectly expressed  and  conveyed  to  them  His  meaning, 
His  thoughts,  doctrines,  commands  :  and  equally,  when 
His  words,  taught  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  brought  to  their 
remembrance,  inspired  into  their  minds,  and  spoken, 
or  written  by  them,  and  when  as  written  they  are 
preached  by  His  ministers  to  the  end  of  the  world. 
Again,  Luke  10,  He  that  heareth  you  heareth  Me.  That 
is,  he  that  heareth  you,  heareth  My  words  spoken  by 
you,  which  correctly  express  My  thoughts.  From  all 
which  we  may  gather,  that  whenever  the  Spirit  in- 
spired into  the  minds  of  the  Apostles  different  words 
from  those  which  are  recorded  as  having  been  spoken 
by  Christ  to  express  the  same  thoughts,  they  are  no 
less  His  words  than  if  they  had  been  so  recorded.  It 
was  the  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  convey  His  words 
to  them  by  inspiration.  When  He,  the  Spirit  of  Truth, 
is  come,  He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth  ;  for  He  shall 
not  speak  of  Himself,  but  whatsoever  He  shall  hear  that 
shall  He  speak.  (John  14.)  Accordingly  they  were  ad- 
monished, when  persecuted  and  brought  before  magis- 
trates— Take  no  thought  beforehand  what  ye  shall 
speak,  neither  do  ye  premeditate,  but  whatsoever  shall 
be  given  you  in  that  hour,  that  speak  ye  ;  for  it  is  not 
ye  that  speak,  but  the  Holy  Ghost.  Mark  13. — The 
Holy  Ghost  shall  teach  you,  in  the  same  hour,  what  ye 
ought  to  say.  Luke  12. — It  is  not  ye  that  speak,  but 
the  Spirit  of  your  Father  that  speaketh  in  you.  Matt. 
10. — I  will  give  you  a  mouth  and  wisdom,  etc.  Luke 
21. — The  Holy  Spirit  was  by  their  mouth  to  speak  the 
words  of  God,  as  we  elsewhere  read,  that  God  hath 


OF  TIIE  HOLY   SCBIPTUBES.  97 

spoken  by  the  mouth  of  all  His  Holy  prophets  since  the 
world  began.     (Acts  3.     Luke  1.) 

This  inspiration  of  words  was  realized  by  the  Ajjos- 
tles  in  preaching  and  testifying  the  Gospel.  They 
spoke,  not  in  words  of  their  own  selection,  not  in  (fie 
words  which  man's  wisdom  leacheth,  but  in  the  words 
ivhich  die  Holy  Ghost  teacheth.  (1  Cor.  2.)  This  general 
declaration  imports  that  the  words  which  they  spoke 
in  preaching  were  on  all  occasions  the  words  of  God 
inspired  into  their  minds.  Thus,  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost, they  spake  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance.  (Acts  2.) 
The  things  which  had  been  spoken  by  Christ,  and 
which  were  to  be  brought  to  their  remembrance  by  the 
Spirit,  must  have  been  recalled  by  inspiration ;  for 
they  were  originally  spoken  in  Syriac,  whereas  they 
were  written,  and  therefore  must  have  been  inspired  in 
Greek. 

From  the  foregoing  observations  we  gather  that  In- 
spiration comprised  a  correct  conception  of  the  mean- 
ing, the  form,  and  the  sound  of  the  words  in  which  the 
thoughts  imparted  were  conveyed ;  the  words  being 
necessary  to  a  consciousness  of  the  thoughts,  their 
sound  to  a  vocal  enunciation,  and  their  form  to  a  re- 
presentation of  them  by  writing. 

Such,  obviously,  must  have  been  the  case  with  re- 
spect to  prophecies,  instructions,  and  announcements, 
when  first  imparted  by  inspiration.  And  such  must 
necessarily  have  been  the  case  with  whatever  was  in- 
spired and  written  or  spoken;  for  the  writers  could 
not  be  conscious  of  the  thoughts  independently  of  the 
words,  nor  write  the  words  without  knowing  their 
form,  anymore  than  they  could  speak  them  without 


98  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

knowing  their  sound.  Accordingly  those  upon  whom 
the  gift  of  tongues  was  bestowed,  spoke  as  the  Spirit 
gave  them  utterance,  the  words  which  were  inspired 
into  their  minds,  and  of  which  they  clearly  understood 
the  meaning  and  the  sound.  But  their  utterance  of 
those  words  conveyed  no  thoughts  to  hearers  of  a  differ- 
ent language,  till  they  were  interpreted  into  equivalent 
words  of  their  language,  of  which  they  knew  the  mean- 
ing, the  sound,  and  the  form,  so  that  they  possessed 
them  as  the  vehicle  of  the  thoughts,  and  could  speak 
them,  write  them,  and  recall  them  to  remembrance. 
(1  Cor.  14.) 

This  view  of  the  nature  and  mode  of  Inspiration, 
the  process  by  which  the  Scriptures,  the  words  written, 
were  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  obviates  the  objec- 
tion sometimes  made,  that  the  difference  between  the 
style  of  one  sacred  writer  from  that  of  another  implies 
that  the  respective  penmen  were  left  to  select  their  own 
words.  They  were  not  all  qualified  by  education  and 
other  endowments  to  comprehend,  think,  speak,  and 
write  in  the  same  words  ;  and  therefore  words  suited 
to  their  education  and  capacity,  words  in  which  they 
could  readily  conceive,  and  be  conscious  of  the  thoughts 
intended  to  be  expressed,  were  inspired  into  their 
minds ;  into  some,  words  of  an  ornate  and  poetical  cast, 
and  into  others  the  plainest  and  most  simple  words  in 
common  use.  This  objection,  as  is  elsewhere  observed, 
•proceeds  upon  the  groundless  assumption  that  Inspira- 
tion is  affirmed  of  the  writers,  instead  of  that  which 
they  wrote — the  Scripture,  the  words  written. 

In  respect  to  these  particulars,  there  appears  no 
ground  of  difference  between  the  mode  in  which  revela- 


OF  THE  HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  99 

tions  were  made  to  men  by  inspiration,  and  the  mode 
in  which  the  knowledge  of  particular  facts  or  truths 
is  communicated  by  one  man  to  another.  Should  a 
learned  and  eloquent  man  impart  such  knowledge  to  a 
man  of  similar  learning  and  eloquence,  he  would  em- 
ploy words  suited  to  his  education  and  style  of  speak- 
ing ;  and  if  to  a  man  of  but  ordinary  gifts  and  attain- 
ments, he  would  employ  only  common  and  simple 
words.  But  he  could  not  in  either  case  impart  such 
knowledge  by  conveying  his  thoughts  into  another's 
mind  disconnected  from  their  appropriate  words,  or 
visible  signs  equivalent  to  words.  He  must  speak  or 
write  the  words  in  which  he  thinks,  by  which  he  is 
conscious  of  the  thoughts  to  be  imparted,  and  by  means 
of  which  they  are  retained  in  his  memory.  So  a  short 
but  very  important  portion  of  the  Scriptures,  after 
having  been  audibly  spoken  to  the  whole  congregation 
of  Israel,  was  written  on  tablets  of  stone  by  the  finger 
of  God.  A  very  large  portion,  comprising  all  that 
could  not  be  discovered  by  man,  and  much  besides 
which  could  not  have  been  within  the  personal  know- 
ledge of  the  writers,  is  recorded  in  the  very  words  which 
had  been  spoken  by  the  Divine  Revealer. 

With  respect  to  the  diverse  styles  of  the  sacred  pen- 
men, it  may  be  observed  : 

1.  That  the  marked  differences  in  their  styles,  cor- 
respond to  the  differences  in  the  education,  literary 
qualifications,  employments,  and  habits  of  thought  and 
expression,  of  the  different  writers.  Some  were  priests, 
trained  in  the  Levitical  schools,  and  familiar  with  the 
sacred  writings  of  their  times,  and  with  all  the  doc- 
trines and  services  of  their  religion.     Some  were  ex- 


100  THE  PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

pressly  educated  to  be  prophets ;  others  were  magis- 
trates and  kings,  endowed  with  the  various  knowledge 
and  culture  required  by  their  official  stations.  And  some 
were  men  taken  from  the  secular  walks  of  life,  and 
furnished  only  with  the  ordinary  education  which  their 
stations  and  pursuits  required.  Thus  of  the  prophets, 
Amos  was  from  among  the  herdmen.  "  I  was  no  pro- 
phet, neither  was  I  a  prophet's  son;  but  I  was  an 
herdman,  and  a  gatherer  of  sycamore  fruit."  (Chap.  7.) 
And  of  the  Evangelists,  Matthew  was  a  tax-gatherer, 
and  Peter  a  fisherman.  On  the  other  hand,  Moses  was 
learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  Egypt.  David,  Solomon, 
and  Isaiah  were  amply  endowed  with  various  know- 
ledge and  with  the  gifts  of  eloquence  and  poetry,  and 
Paul  was  skilled  in  the  Greek  and  Hebrew  learning  of 
his  day. 

2.  Those  provisions  in  the  constitution  of  man  by 
which  we  think,  are  conscious  of,  and  remember  and 
express  our  thoughts,  in  words,  imply  that  the  same 
process  takes  place  in  the  inspiration  of  Divine  truths 
into  the  mind,  as  in  the  communication  of  divine  or 
other  truths  from  one  human  mind  to  another  ;  that  is, 
in  conjunction  with  and  by  the  instrumentality  of 
words.  The  sacred  writers  were  undoubtedly  conscious 
of  the  thoughts  which  were  inspired  into  their  minds, 
and  which  they  expressed  in  words  by  writing ;  and 
if  the  laws  of  the  human  mind,  in  respect  to  percep- 
tion and  consciousness,  were  not  suspended  by  the 
inspiration  of  thoughts  into  their  minds,  they  could 
have  been  conscious  of  the  inspired  thoughts  only  in 
words. 

3.  It  was  therefore  necessary  to  their  understanding 


OF   THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  101 

and  comprehending  the  thoughts  of  which  they  were 
conscious,  that  they  should  be  inspired  in  words  which 
by  their  education,  tastes,  habits,  employments,  and 
official  stations,  were  known  and  familiar  to  them  ;  for 
they  could  not  intelligently  comprehend  and  be  con- 
scious of  the  thoughts  any  farther  than  they  under- 
stood and  were  conscious  of  the  words. 

4.  Accordingly,  there  are  similar  differences  in  the 
styles  of  what  is  recorded  by  the  different  writers,  as 
having  been  audibly  spoken  by  the  Divine  Kevealer, 
as  in  the  styles  of  the  historical  narratives  or  other 
matter  connected  with  what  was  spoken ;  from  which 
it  is  apparent  that  words  equally  within  the  knowledge 
and  familiar  use  of  the  writers,  were  employed  in  both 
cases. 

5.  The  reason,  consequently,  why  the  styles  of  the 
different  writers,  differ  from  each  other,  arises  not  from 
the  fact  that  what  they  wrote  was  inspired,  nor  from 
the  nature  or  mode  of  inspiration,  nor  yet  from  the 
nature  of  the  subjects  to  which  the  inspired  thoughts 
relate ;  but  wholly  from  the  circumstance  that  the 
thoughts  conveyed  must  necessarily  be  inspired  in 
words  familiar  to  the  writers,  because  they  could  re- 
ceive, understand,  and  be  conscious  of  the  inspired 
thoughts  only  in  words  which  were  previously  known 
and  familiar  to  them.  Accordingly  it  happens,  both 
in  the  prophets  and  the  evangelists,  that  in  some  in 
stances  the  same  thoughts  are  expressed  by  different 
writers  in  different  words,  and  in  other  instances  in  the 
same  words.  In  short,  conformably  to  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  mind  and  the  laws  of  thought  and  conscious- 
ness, the  same  thing  appears  to  have  happened,  so  far 


102  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

as  the  style  is  concerned,  which  would  have  taken 
place  had  the  inspired  thoughts  been  conveyed  from 
one  human  being  to  another,  or  had  they  been  the 
thoughts  uninspired  of  the  respective  writers. 

This  may  be  illustrated  by  reference  to  the  Gospels 
and  the  writers  of  them.  1st.  There  ia  satisfactorjr 
evidence  that  they  were  written  at  successive  periods 
in  the  order  in  which  they  are  now  arranged.  2d. 
There  is  evidence,  also,  that  the  successive  writers, 
after  Matthew,  were  familiar  with  what  their  predeces- 
sors had  written.  3d.  Each  G-ospel  contains  many 
things  not  contained  in  either  of  the  others,  and  omits 
many  things  as  likely  to  have  been  known  to  the  re- 
spective writers  as  those  which  they  insert.  4th.  The 
omissions  and  additions  are  alike  indicative  of  the  pe- 
culiarities of  character,  education,  and  pursuits  or  em- 
ployments of  the  respective  writers,  and  of  the  descrip- 
tion of  readers  which  they  appear  to  have  had  im- 
mediately in  view.  Thus  Matthew  records  what  was 
peculiarly  suitable  to  the  Jews  during  the  earliest 
period  of  the  new  dispensation  ;  beginning  with  the 
genealogy  of  Jesus,  the  Christ,  giving  a  minute  account 
of  his  nativity,  and  of  the  ministry  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist ;  relating  those  acts  and  miracles  of  Christ  which 
had  been  predicted  of  him,  and  quoting  the  prophecies 
of  the  previous  dispensation,  in  proof  of  his  Messiah- 
ship.  At  the  same  time,  his  marked  Hebraic  idioms, 
his  grouping  of  kindred  subjects  together  without  re- 
gard to  their  chronological  order,  and  other  peculiari- 
ties, distinguish  his  style  from  that  of  the  other  Evan- 
gelists. Considering  his  personal  character,  therefore, 
and  the  immediate  objects  of  the  Grospel  first  to  be 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  103 

published,  it  is  sufficiently  obvious,  that,  out  of  the 
great  mass  of  facts,  discourses,  miraculous  cure3,  para- 
bles, narratives,  and  predictions  which  transpired,  and 
were  to  be  recorded  by  one  or  other  of  the  Evangelists, 
those  which  were  specially  selected,  and  inspired  into 
his  mind,  to  be  written  by  him,  were  such  only  as  the 
occasion  immediately  required,  and  were  inspired  in 
words,  idioms,  and  phrases,  suitable  to  his  peculiar 
habit  and  style  of  thinking. 

Mark  appears  to  have  had  more  previous  literary 
culture  and  various  knowledge,  than  Matthew,  and  to 
have  written  with  a  view  to  Greek  and  other  Gentile 
readers.  His  Gospel,  while  it  contained  the  facts  and 
doctrines  essentially  necessary  to  be  known  by  such 
readers,  supposing  them  to  have  been  ignorant  of  its 
predecessor,  had,  for  the  Jews,  the  requisites  of  a  sup- 
plement to  Matthew's.  It  omits  the  genealogies,  and  cer- 
tain of  the  parables  and  other  matters  which  were  of 
special  significance  to  the  Jews.  While,  on  the  other 
Ikii id,  it  specifies  individuals  by  their  names,  and  ex- 
plains many  things  more  circumstantially  and  minutely 
than  its  precursor.  Its  style,  as  compared  with  that  of 
Matthew,  is  precise,  laconic,  and  abrupt. 

Luke,  the  beloved  physician,  must  be  recognized  as 
a  Greek  of  an  accurate,  logical,  and  comprehensive 
mind,  systematically  trained  in  the  learning  of  his 
time,  and  of  his  profession,  and  writing  for  his  own 
class  of  Gentiles  as  well  as  for  the  readers  of  all  time. 
The  peculiarities  of  his  style — writing  as  he  did,  not  as  a 
personal  witness  of  what  he  relates,  but  as  an  historian — 
as  well  as  of  his  topics,  illustrations,  and  medical  allu- 
sions, are,  like  the  peculiarities  of  the  subjects  and  style 


101  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

of  John,  apparent  to  every  reader  as  in  striking  contrast 
to  wliat  liad  been  written  by  Matthew  and  Mark.  Even 
wliere  they  severally  mention  the  same  events  or  sayings^ 
there  is  often  a  different  collocation  of  words,  a  greater 
or  less  degree  of  amplification  or  particularity,  or  a 
diversity  in  some  other  respect  without  disparagement 
of  the  scope  and  meaning  of  the  thoughts  expressed, 
yet  plainly  indicating  that  what  each  of  them  was  in- 
spired to  write,  was  inspired  into  his  mind  in  his  own 
accustomed  style  and  phraseology,  and  that  the  topics 
were  selected  by  the  Omniscient  Spirit  with  reference 
to  the  immediate  and  special  objects  of  the  respective 
Gospels. 

If  what  the  Evangelists  were  to  utter  in  their  preach- 
ing, and  when  brought  before  magistrates,  was  to  be 
in  the  words  of  the  Holy  Ghost  speaking  in  them,  how 
much  more  when  they  wrote  for  the  infallible  guidance 
of  the  faith  and  life  of  the  Church  in  after  ages  ?  If 
when  they  preached  and  testified,  the  inspired  words 
which  they  uttered  were  of  their  accustomed  and  fa- 
miliar style,  and  therefore  adapted  to  the  usage  and 
comprehension  of  their  hearers,  what  wonder  can  there 
be  that  the  same  peculiarities  of  style  should  mark 
their  writings  ?  If  the  thoughts  they  were  to  express 
by  vocal  utterance  were  inspired  into  their  minds  in 
words  already  common  and  familiar,  why  should  not 
the  thoughts  they  were  to  express  in  writing  be  inspired 
into  their  minds  in  the  same  words  ?  If  the  thoughts 
were  inspire!  in  ivords,  which  is  the  only  inspiration 
indicated  in  the  Scriptures,  or  which  can  be  defined 
and  shown  to  be  consistent  with  the  intelligent  exercise 
and  consciousness  of  men's  minds,  they  must  have  been 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  105 

inspired  in  words  which,  in  style  and  idiom,  were  natu- 
ral and  familiar  to  the  writers.  And  the  significance 
of  the  foregoing  interrogatories  becomes  pointed  and 
resistless,  when  it  is  considered  that  the  words  of  Christ 
Himself,  as  expressly  quoted  by  the  Evangelists,  are 
marked  by  the  same  colloqual  peculiarities  as  those 
which  are  recorded  in  immediate  connection  with 
them. 

There  was  the  same  reason  why  the  thoughts  which 
were  inspired  into  the  minds  of  the  sacred  writers 
should  be  inspired  in  words  and  idioms  to  which,  by 
education  and  habit,  they  were  accustomed,  as  why 
they  should  be  inspired  in  a  tongue  known  to  the  re- 
spective penmen :  and  not  in  a  tongue  previously  un- 
known both  to  them  and  to  those  for  whom  their 
writings  were  immediately  intended;  namely,  that 
what  they  wrote  might  be  immediately  and  perfectly 
understood.  Had  Jehovah  spoken  to  the  patriarchs, 
to  Moses,  to  the  children  of  Israel,  and  to  the  prophets, 
in  any  other  than  the  words,  phrases,  and  peculiar 
idioms  in  common  use,  he  would  have  been  but  little, 
if  any  better,  understood,  than  if  he  had  spoken  in  a 
tongue  foreign  to  his  hearers :  and  so,  also,  had  Christ 
spoken  in  any  other  than  the  colloquial  phrase  and 
manner  in  common  use.  It  is  a  fact  that  the  sacred 
oracles  are  written  in  such  words  of  human  and  fami- 
liar use ;  and  if  that  is  supposed  to  constitute  an  ob- 
jection to  their  plenary  verbal  inspiration,  it  is  obvi- 
ously a  far  stronger  objection  to  a  suggestive,  supervi- 
sory, or  other  inspiration,  which  left  the  choice  of  words 
in  any  degree  to  the  discretion  of  men.  For  in  the  one 
case  the  selection  made  by  Omniscient  Wisdom  must 


106  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

liave  been  such  as  infallibly  to  convey  the  meaning :  while 
in  the  other,  as  far  as  the  writers  exercised  any  discretion 
in  the  choice  of  words,  there  must  be  fallibility  and  un- 
certainty. To  suppose  them  to  have  been  so  superin- 
tended as  to  insure  their  selection  of  the  best  possible 
words,  those  which  would  perfectly  and  infallibly  con- 
vey the  thoughts  intended  to  be  expressed,  is  to  sup- 
pose nothing  less  than  that  the  words  which  they  wrote 
were  inspired  into  their  minds  to  convey  to  them  the 
thoughts  which  they  were  to  express  in  writing. 

The  penmen  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  wrote  what  was 
inspired  into  their  minds  to  be  written.  Their  volun- 
tary and  responsible  agency  in  the  matter  was  simply 
that  of  penmen.  What  they  wrote  depended  not  on 
them,  either  in  respect  to  the  matter,  its  truth  or  its 
authority.  They  wrote  as  they  were  moved  by  the 
Holy  Ghost.  The  Spirit  spake  by  them.  They  wrote 
in  their  own  characteristic  styles,  not  merely  because 
they  were  not  competent  voluntarily  and  intelligently 
to  write  in  any  other,  but  because,  in  order  to  their  in- 
telligent and  voluntary  agency  in  writing,  and  that 
what  they  wrote  might  be  readily  and  correctly  under- 
stood, the  words,  in  the  styles  which  characterize  the 
compositions,  were  inspired  into  their  minds.  The 
thoughts  were  inspired  in  those  words,  in  which  they 
were  conscious  of  the  thoughts,  and  which,  of  necessity, 
therefore,  they  wrote. 

Such  plenary  inspiration  of  the  words  which  were 
spoken  and  written  by  the  Apostles,  is  evident  both 
from  express  declarations,  and  from  the  nature  of  their 
office.  The  power  of  working  miracles  was  not  the 
distinctive  characteristic  of  their  office.     That  power 


OF  THE   HOLY   BCMPTUBES.  107 

was  exercised  on  particular  occasions,  by  men  who 
were  not  apostles.  It  was,  by  the  imposition  of  their 
hands,  conferred  on  others.  That  which  was  peculiar 
to  their  office,  and  which  distinguished  them  as  Apos- 
tles, was,  that  invariably  what  they  spoke  and  wrote 
was  Divinely  inspired  and  infallible  as  the  rule  of 
faith  and  life.  Their  teachings  were,  by  virtue  of  this 
plenary  and  infallible  inspiration,  of  the  same  binding- 
authority  on  all  churches  and  for  all  time,  as  if  they 
had  been  audibly  announced  by  their  ascended  Lord. 
Therefore  they  spoke  and  wrote  not  in  words  of  man's 
wisdom  or  selection,  but  in  the  words  which  the  Holy 
Ghost  taught  them.  Nothing  short  of  this  —  God 
speaking  by  them — could  possibly  render  their  teach- 
ings, commands,  and  decisions  binding  on  the  con- 
sciences of  men.  Nothing  different  from  this  could  in- 
vest their  words  with  Divine  authority,  and  constitute 
them  the  infallible  words  of  God. 

It  has  been  regarded  by  most  writers  as  of  extreme 
difficulty  to  account  for  it,  that  the  thoughts  which 
were  previously  known  to  the  sacred  writers,  were 
inspired,  or  needed  to  be  inspired,  into  their  minds  at 
the  time  when  they  recorded  them ;  which  must  have 
taken  place  if  all  Scripture  is  given  by  inspiration. 
"What  necessity  could  there  have  been  of  a  Divine  in- 
spiration of  those  thoughts  into  their  minds,  or  of  in- 
spiring their  minds  to  conceive  those  thoughts?  If 
they  were  already  conscious  of  them,  what  more  could 
be  necessary  than  that  they  should  honestly  commit 
them  to  writing?  And  if  in  respect  to  those  thoughts 
a  Divine  inspiration  took  place,  why  were  they  inspi red 
in  the  styles  in  which  the  writers  were  previously  con- 
scious of  them? 


108  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

This  difficulty,  we  apprehend,  arises  altogether  from 
an  erroneous  view  of  the  nature  and  subject  of  inspir- 
ation; as  if  it  were  the- writers,  instead  of  what  they 
■wrote,  that  was  inspired.  They  wrote  that,  and  only 
that,  which  was  inspired  into  their  minds  to  be  written ; 
and  equally,  whether  it  was  in  part,  or  wholly,  or  in  no 
degree,  known  to  them  before.  They  must  have 
known  innumerable  things  which  they  did  not  write ; 
and  things  concerning  the  same  subjects.  It  was  not 
necessary  to  the  ends  to  be  answered  by  the  Scriptures, 
that  all  the  particulars  known  to  them  should  be  writ- 
ten. The  Inspiring  Spirit  selected  such  as  were  neces- 
sary, omitting  others.  And  in  this  He  did  precisely 
what  He  would  have  done,  had  none  of  the  things 
been  previously  known  to  the  writers,  or  within  their 
personal  observation  and  experience :  as  in  the  case  of 
Moses,  with  respect  to  the  entire  retrospective  history 
contained  in  Genesis — not  one  of  the  things  comprised 
in  that  history  could  have  been  within  his  personal  ob- 
servation, or  known  to  him,  unless  by  oral  tradition, 
and  without  absolute  certainty.  Nor  can  it  be  doubted 
but  that  folios  might  have  been  filled  with  other  de- 
tails upon  the  same  subjects.  What  he  records  is  but 
a  brief  selection  inspired  into  his  mind  out  of  an  inde- 
finite mass  of  facts  and  details.  But  such  a  selection 
in  either  of  the  cases  referred  to  is  inconceivable,  ex- 
cept by  an  inspiration  of  the  selected  thoughts  into  the 
minds  of  the  writers.  A  miracle,  indeed,  may  be  im- 
agined, by  which  they  should  forget  all  that  they  knew 
before,  except  the  selected  thoughts ;  but  that  would 
not  suffice :  it  would  not  make  it  absolutely  certain 
that  the  thoughts  not  forgotten  were  conceived  correct- 


OF  THE  HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  109 

ly  and  remembered  perfectly  by  them ;  or  that  they 
were  retained  so  as  to  be  written  in  the  necessary  con- 
nection with  each  other. 

The  reason,  in  relation  to  others  than  themselves 
and  their  immediate  constituents,  why  the  Holy  Spirit 
inspired  into  the  minds  of  the  sacred  writers  in  their 
wonted  styles,  the  thoughts  with  which  they  were  pre- 
viously familiar,  was  the  same,  no  doubt,  with  that  for 
which  He  inspired  revealed  thoughts  which  were  not 
previously  known  to  them,  in  the  same  styles,  namely, 
because  they  were  natural  to  the  conceptions  and  modes 
of  thinking  and  expression  of  mankind  in  all  countries 
and  all  times.  The  written  Scriptures  were  designed 
not  peculiarly  for  the  learned,  but  for  all  classes  of 
men ;  of  whom  the  unlearned  are  the  vast  majority. 
The  simple  language  of  ordinary  life,  of  which  the 
style  and  phraseology  are  as  much  alike  as  the  necessi- 
ties and  the  thoughts,  was  therefore  necessary.  To 
have  rejected  that  and  adopted  any  other  style  would 
have  been  to  defeat  the  object  of  inspiration.  The 
languages  in  common  use  among  all  nations,  b^ing  in 
style  substantially  alike,  a  revelation,  to  answer  its 
purpose,  to  be  understood,  to  meet  the  common  want, 
and  to  be  translatable  from  "  the  originals  into  other 
tongues,"  must  of  necessity,  with  respect  to  one  portion 
of  its  matter  as  well  as  of  another,  be  inspired  and 
written  in  the  ordinary  words,  styles,  and  phrases  of 
those  who  received  and  wrote  it. 

The  same  course  of  remark  as  that  above  concerning 
the  selection  of  thoughts  out  of  the  mass  of  what  was 
previously  known  to  the  sacred  writers,  is  in  like 
manner  applicable  to  the  selection  of  historical  facts 


110  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

and  genealogies,  in  different  canonical  books,  from 
other  works  then  extant  which  were  not  received  into 
the  canon.  In  the  books  of  Kings,  for  instance,  l:tlie 
book  of  the  Chronicles  of  the  Kings  of  Judah,"  and 
that  of  "the  Kings  of  Israel,"  are  frequently  mentioned 
as  containing  "the  rest  of  the  acts,"  of  successive  kings 
— the  acts,  namely,  which  were  not  selected  for  inser- 
tion in  the  Inspired  Scriptures.  Solomon  spake  three 
thousand  proverbs,  and  his  Songs  were  a  thousand 
and  five.  Of  his  Proverbs,  a  portion  only  are  selected ; 
and  but  two  of  the  Psalms  are  ascribed  to  him.  The 
acts  of  David  are  said  to  be  written  "  in  the  book  of 
Samuel,  the  book  of  Nathan,  and  the  book  of  Gad ;  " 
and  the  acts  of  Solomon  "in  the  book  of  Nathan,  the 
prophecy  of  Ahijah,  and  in  the  visions  of  Iddo:"  from 
which  sources,  doubtless,  particular  selections  were  in- 
spired. "  All  Israel  were  reckoned  by  genealogies ; 
and  behold  they  were  written  in  the  book  of  the  Kings 
of  Israel  and  Judah."  (1  Chron.  9.)  From  those  records 
the  genealogies  in  this  book  of  Scripture  were  selected. 
The  prophets  wrote  what  was  expressly  inspired  into 
their  minds  to  be  written.  Out  of  all  the  materials  of 
Jewish  history,  public  and  private,  the  Divine  wisdom 
required  certain  things  to  be  written — certain  things 
which  had  been  recorded  in  the  secular  annals  or 
national  chronicles  of  the  kings ;  while  many  other 
things  in  those'  records  were  omitted ;  and  certain 
things  also  from  the  private  personal  history  of  indi- 
viduals. The  particulars  so  selected,  were  in  the  view 
of  Omniscience,  necessary  to  be  contained  in  the  author- 
itative Book  of  Scripture;  and  as  matters  of  fact, 
actual  events,  a  true  report  of  what  was  said  and  done, 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  Ill 

whether  in  itself  right  or  wrong,  were  inspired  into  the 
minds  of  the  prophets  to  be  written.  As  so  written 
they  are  the  words  of  God,  as  they  constitute  a  record 
of  real  facts  and  events  in  words  inspired  by  Him. 

Those  who  object  to  the  idea  that  the  words  of  Scrip- 
ture were  inspired  with  the  thoughts,  regard  it  as  es- 
pecially preposterous  to  suppose  that  the  order  and 
grammatical  arrangement  of  the  words  were  Divinely 
prescribed.  But  surely  a  little  consideration  must  con- 
vince every  one :  1st.  That  whatever  thoughts  were 
inspired  into  a  prophet's  mind,  must  have  been  couch- 
ed in  words,  in  order  to  be  consciously  received  by 
him.  And  if  every  one  does  not  perceive  the  absolute 
necessity  of  this  in  every  possible  instance,  all  must  ad- 
mit that  necessity  in  a  vast  multitude  of  cases  where  no 
fitting  words  were  previously  known  to  the  Prophets ; 
and  in  other  cases  where  a  choice  by  the  sacred  pen- 
men from  among  a  diversity  of  words  was  impossible 
— as  in  proper  names,  numbers,  proportions,  qualities, 
dates,  affirmations,  negations,  and  the  like.  2d.  That 
the  thoughts  could  not  possibl}r,  in  any  case,  be  intelli- 
gibly conveyed  otherwise  than  in  a  due  and  orderly 
succession — that  succession  which  is  exhibited  in  the 
due  collocation  and  grammatical  arrangement  of  the 
words  when  written.  3d.  That  such  orderly  succes- 
sion and  grammatical  arrangement  of  the  words  of  the 
sacred  text  was  as  necessary  to  be  prescribed  as  the 
words  themselves,  or  as  the  thoughts  which  they  ex- 
pressed :  for  in  no  possible  case  perhaps,  or  not  in  one 
out  of  a  thousand  instances,  would  a  different  order 
and  arrangement  of  the  words  of  the  text  convey  pre- 
cisely the  same  meaning  as  that  which  was  adopted. 


112  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

In  most  cases  the  meaning  would  be  materially  affect- 
ed by  a  change  in  the  collocations  and  relations  of  the 
words.  In  many  cases  the  meaning  would  be  wholly 
different ;  and  in  every  instance  the  slightest  change 
would  modify  or  obscure  the  sense.  The  object  of  a 
particular  collocation  and  grammatical  arrangement  of 
the  words  of  a  sentence  is  to  convey  intelligibly  and 
perfectly  the  thoughts  and  shades  of  thought  intended 
to  be  expressed.  And  accordingly  there  are,  in  the 
nature  and  structure  of  language,  the  several  parts  of 
speech,  and  the  varieties  of  change  in  respect  to  per- 
son, number,  case,  mode,  tense,  and  other  requisites  to 
the  expression  of  every  variety  and  shade  of  thought. 
To  these,  in  the  selection  and  collocation  of  words  in 
spoken  or  written  sentences,  particular  attention  is  in- 
dispensable. 

Suppose,  for  example,  that  two  men  were  equally 
familiar  with  the  facts  relating  to  a  particular  subject — 
the  biography  of  an  individual ;  that  the  details  of  such 
biography  fully  written  out  would  fill  a  massive  folio ; 
that  a  selection  from  the  mass  of  materials  might  be 
comprised  in  a  thin  octavo ;  and  that  in  order  to  pro- 
duce such  an  abridgment,  one  of  them  should  act  as 
penman  while  the  other  dictated  the  words  to  be  writ- 
ten ;  the  result  obviously  would  be  a  work  expressing 
the  thoughts  of  the  party  dictating,  and  in  the  words 
selected  and  collocated  by  him.  The  writer  would 
have  no  agency,  either  in  the  selection  of  the  thoughts, 
or  in  the  selection  or  the  arrangement  of  the  words. 
To  suppose  him  to  write  other  words  in  place  of  those 
dictated,  or  to  change  the  collocation  of  the  words, 
would  be  to  suppose  him  to  be  guilty  of  treachery  and 
falsehood. 


OF  THE   nOLY  SCRIPTURES.  113 

When  connected  thoughts  are  conveyed  by  inspira- 
tion, as  when  conveyed  by  vocal  sounds,  or  written 
characters,  they  must  necessarily  be  adjusted  conforma- 
bly to  the  laws  and  habits  of  the  mind  that  is  to  re- 
ceive and  be  rendered  conscious  of  them.  Such  ad- 
justment is  as  necessary  to  intelligible  speech,  and  to 
the  intelligent  reception  of  thoughts,  however  conveyed, 
as  a  due  succession  of  notes  in  instrumental  music,  and 
is,  by  practice,  rendered  as  easy  and  spontaneous  in 
the  one  case  as  in  the  other.  "  There  are  innumerable 
motions  of  the  fingers  upon  the  stops  or  keys  of  an  in- 
strument, which  must  be  directed  in  one  particular 
train  or  succession.  There  is  only  one  arrangement 
of  those  motions  that  is  right,  while  there  are  ten 
thousand  that  are  wrong,  and  would  spoil  the  music. 
The  musician  thinks  not  in  the  least  of  the  arrange- 
ment of  those  motions ;  he  has  a  distinct  idea  of  the 
tune,  and  wills  to  play  it.  The  motions  of  the  fingers 
arrange  themselves  so  as  to  answer  his  intention.  In 
like  manner  when  a  man  speaks  upon  a  subject  with 
which  he  is  acquainted,  there  is  a  certain  arrangement 
of  his  thoughts  and  words  necessary  to  make  his  dis- 
course sensible,  pertinent,  and  grammatical.  In  every 
sentence,  there  are  more  rules  of  grammar,  logic,  and 
rhetoric,  that  may  be  transgressed,  than  there  are 
words  and  letters.  He  speaks  without  thinking  of  any 
of  those  rules,  and  yet  observes  them  all,  as  if  they 
were  all  in  his  eye."  (Reid,  Essay  IV.)  Doubtless  the 
constitution,  laws,  and  habits  of  the  human  mind,  ren- 
der such  precision  of  arrangement  as  necessary  in  the 
case  of  inspired,  as  in  that  of  uninspired  thoughts  and 
words. 


114  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

The  inspiration  which  is  affirmed  of  the  Scriptures — 
that  of  words  with  the  thoughts  represented  by  them — 
is  in  harmony  with  our  intellectual  constitution,  and 
with  those  laws  conformably  to  which  we  think,  are 
conscious  of  our  thoughts,  and  remember  and  express 
them.  We  are  constituted  to  think  in  words,  to  receive 
thoughts  by  hearing  and  by  reading  words,  to  express 
them  by  articulating  words;  and  in  like  manner  to 
receive  thoughts  by  the  inspiration  of  words.  The 
miracle  of  Divine  Inspiration  does  not  contravene  the 
laws  of  our  intellectual  being.  It  conveys  intelli- 
gence to  the  mind  in  words  of  which  the  recipient  be- 
comes conscious  by  the  inspiration  of  them,  whether 
with  or  without  the  adventitious  circumstance  of  an 
audible  utterance  of  the  words  by  the  inspirer,  or  that 
of  causing  intellectual  visions  or  dreams.  That  the  in- 
telligence is  conveyed  in  words  of  which  the  mind  is 
rendered  conscious,  in  accordance  with  the  laws  by 
which  it  becomes  conscious  of  all  other  thoughts  as 
they  are  conceived  in  words,  and  as  they  are  heard 
when  spoken,  and  read  when  written,  is  evident  from  the 
fact,  that  the  sacred  penmen  when  receiving  by  inspir- 
ation what  they  were  moved  and  commanded  to  speak 
and  write,  were  in  a  state  perfectly  to  apprehend  the 
meaning  of  the  words  inspired,  to  be  conscious  of  them, 
to  remember  them,  and  to  commit  them  to  writing.  In 
all  but  one  particular  the  process  appears  to  be  identical 
with  that  by  which,  in  the  ordinary  exercise  of  our 
intellectual  and  physical  organs,  we  receive  intelligence 
in  words,  from  one  another ;  the  exception  being,  that 
revealed  intelligence  in  words,  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
the  words  of  God,  were  inspired  into  the  mind  of  the 


OF   THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  115 

recipient,  not  at  his  will,  or  by  the  will  or  agency  of 
any  other  creature,  but  immediately  by  the  omniscient 
Creator,  Lawgiver,  and  Judge  of  men ;  and  therefor*  sth<  •  v 
are  His  words,  and  involve  His  infinite  authority.  The 
too  common  practice  of  referring  to  the  different  books 
of  the  sacred  canon,  as  if  the  writers  were  the  sole,  or 
the  responsible,  authors  of  them,  and  of  quoting  Moses, 
the  Prophets,  and  the  Apostles,  as  teaching  this  or  that, 
is  neither  countenanced  by  the  Scriptures  themselves, 
nor  consistent  with  their  claims.  The  several  writers 
were  authors  in  no  higher  sense,  than  that  of  being 
penmen  of  words  inspired  into  their  minds — words,  in- 
deed, of  which,  when  inspired,  they  were  intelligently 
conscious,  but  which  were  not  of  their  selection.  And 
accordingly  when  reference  is  made  in  Scripture  to 
what  was  written  by  particular  persons,  especially 
when  the  reference  is  made  to  particular  facts  or  doc- 
trines, it  is  introduced  by  phraseology,  like  the  follow- 
ing :  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  ;  "  "  Men  and  brethren,  this 
Scripture  must  needs  have  been  fulfilled,  which  the 
Holy  Ghost,  by  the  mouth  of  David  spake  before  con- 
cerning Judas."  (Acts  1.  See  also  4  :  24 ;  7  :  6,  etc.) 
The  fact  that  the  inspiration  by  which  the  Scriptures 
were  given,  conveyed  into  the  minds  of  the  sacred 
writers  the  words  they  were  to  inscribe,  and,  so  far  as 
the  words  were  conveyed  by  an  audible  voice,  in  a 
manner  analogous  to  that  in  which  men  convey  intelli- 
gence to  one  another,  by  articulate  vocal  expressions, 
is  illustrated  by  the  familiar  personal  intercourse  and 
conversation  of  the  Great  Revealer,  with  patriarchs  and 
prophets  before,  and  with  His  apostles  after,  his  incar- 
nation, and  by  the  collocation  of  His  words  with  thoa  ■ 


116  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

of  men  in  the  sacred  narratives.  He  who  is  tlie  one 
only  Mediator  between  God  and  man,  wlio  came  down 
from  heaven  and  took  man's  nature  into  union  with 
His  person — the  image,  representative,  Eevealer,  Word 
of  God,  as  really  exercised  His  mediatorial  office  under 
the  ancient  as  He  does  under  the  present  dispensation. 
He  is  before  all  things,  and  by  Him  all  things  consist. 
By  Him,  and  to  subserve  His  purposes  of  manifesta- 
tion, providence,  and  grace,  all  things  in  heaven  and 
earth  were  created  and  are  upheld  and  governed.  In 
His  official  Person,  and  in  the  similitude  of  His  human 
nature,  He  appeared  visibly  to  the  first  parents  of  the 
race,  to  the  patriarchs,  to  Moses,  and  to  the  prophets, 
and  instructed  and  conversed  with  them  in  their  ac- 
customed language.  Under  one  or  other  of  His  titles 
as  recorded  by  Moses,  He  was  recognized  and  wor- 
shipped by  them,  as  Creator,  moral  and  providential 
Ruler,  and  mediatorial  Administrator  in  all  the  rela- 
tions of  God  to  the  human  race.  In  His  visible  appear- 
ances, particularly,  He  was  announced  as  Malach  Je- 
hovah, the  Messenger  Jehovah — the  official  mediatorial 
Person,  as  designated,  anointed,  and  sent  of  the  Father — 
not  as  the  angel  or  an  angel  of  Jehovah,  according  to 
the  Massoretic  construction.  In  this  representative 
character  He  administered  the  visible  theocracy,  con- 
ducted the  children  of  Israel  out  of  Egypt,  gave  the 
Law  at  Sinai,  prescribed  the  Levitical  services,  talked 
with  Moses,  and  spoke  to  all  the  prophets  since  the 
world  began.  When  He  became  incarnate,  He  asso- 
ciated familiarly  with  His  disciples,  instructed  them, 
conversed  with  them,  and  referred  them  to  the  Hebrew 
oracles  as  testifying  of  Him.     "  Search  the  Scriptures ; 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  117 

for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life ;  and  they  are 
they  which  testify  of  Me.  Had  ye  believed  Moses  ye 
would  have  believed  Me,  for  he  wrote  of  Me.  Begin- 
ning at  Moses  and  all  the  prophets,  He  expounded  unto 
them  in  all  the  Scriptures,  the  things  concerning  Him- 
self. These  are  the  words  which  I  spoke  unto  you — 
that  all  things  must  be  fulfilled  which  were  written  in 
the  Law  of  Moses,  and  in  the  prophets,  and  in  the 
Psalms,  concerning  Me.  Then  opened  He  their  under- 
standings, that  they  might  understand  the  Scriptures." 
In  these  and  in  all  similar  references,  both  by  Him 
and  by  the  Apostles,  it  is  evident  that  the  wards  of  the 
sacred  oracles  infallibly  expressed  the  thoughts  of  the 
Revealer  who  inspired  them.  On  that  fact  His  own  in- 
tegrity, the  authority  of  His  mission,  and  the  salvation 
and  eternal  life  of  His  hearers  depended.  He  spoke 
and  conveyed  His  thoughts  to  them  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  they  spoke  and  conveyed  their  thoughts  to  Him 
and  to  one  another,  and  there  is  the  same  evidence  that 
they  understood  and  received  His  thoughts,  that  there 
is  that  He  understood  and  received  theirs.  Both  His 
and  their  words,  of  question  and  answer,  being  inspired 
into  the  minds  of  the  sacred  penmen,  are  written  as  a 
part  of  Scripture,  and  are  interspersed  in  the  narratives 
of  events.  In  numerous  instances  of  His  personal  ap- 
pearance, during  the  ancient  dispensation  under  the 
above  and  other  designations,  the  occasion  required  His 
special  interposition,  and  the  imposing  influence  of  His 
presence,  in  giving  instructions  and  commands  to  par- 
ticular persons,  or  in  controlling  impending  events.  On 
such  occasions  the  words  which  were  spoken  by  him, 
and  the  replies  which  were  made,  are  recorded  as  alike 


118  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

conveying  the  thoughts  of  the  speakers.  Evidently 
the  words  spoken  were  alike  vocally  articulated,  and 
were  employed  according  to  their  received  significa- 
tion. Thus  among  the  instances  of  His  appearance 
and  conversation  with  Abraham,  that  recorded  Gen. 
18,  may  be  referred  to,  when  he  announced  His  pur- 
pose to  destroy  Sodom  and  Gomorrah.  He  revealed 
His  otherwise  inscrutable  purpose,  in  the  words  which 
He  spoke.  It  nearly  concerned  the  relatives  of  the 
Patriarch;  and  the  colloquy  which  ensued  demon- 
strates by  its  import  and  by  the  particulars  referred  to, 
that  the  words  employed  conveyed  perfectly  and  in  one 
and  the  same  way,  the  thoughts  of  the  respective  par- 
ties. So  His  appearance  to  Moses  in  the  burning  bush, 
and  the  continuance  of  it  in  the  cloudy  pillar,  during 
the  journeyings  of  the  Israelites  for  forty  years,  was 
attended  by  a  succession  of  new  and  peculiar  revela- 
tions intimately  connected  with  the  circumstances,  and 
with  the  civil  and  religious  interests  and  agency  of  the 
tribes,  the  record  of  which  by  Moses  shows  indubitably 
that  the  thoughts  of  the  several  speakers  were  con- 
veyed in  the  same  way  and  with  equal  precision,  by 
their  words.  It  was  at  His  command,  and  under  His 
eye,  that  Moses  wrote,  and  deposited  the  writings,  un- 
der His  sanction,  in  the  side  of  the  Ark  of  the  Cove- 
nant. Instead  of  citing  particular  instances  of  His  per- 
sonally speaking  to  Moses  and  directing  him  as  His 
servant  in  all  that  was  done,  each  chapter  and  para- 
graph of  the  four  last  books  of  the  Pentateuch  must  be 
referred  to. 

In  his  administration  of  the  ancient  economy — the 
visible  Theocracy — he  exercised  the  offices  of  Prophet, 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  119 

Priest,  and  King,  and  of  necessity  gave  verbal  direc- 
tions to  magistrates,  prophets,  and  all  in  every  relation 
■who  were  subject  to  him.  On  the  death  of  Moses, 
M  Jehovah  spake  unto  Joshua" — directed  him  to  enter 
the  promised  land,  and  to  observe  the  law,  and  not  to 
turn  from  it  to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  left.  "  As  I 
was  with  Moses,  so  will  I  be  with  thee.  This  book  of 
the  law  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  but  thou 
Shalt  meditate  therein  day  and  night,  that  thou  ma}rest 
observe  to  do  according  to  all  that  is  written  therein." 
(Josh.  1.)  After  the  passage  of  the  Jordan,  He  who 
appeared  to  Moses  in  the  bush,  appeared  to  Joshua  in 
the  form  of  a  man,  with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand, 
and  said :  "  See,  I  have  given  into  thine  hand  Jericho." 
(Josh.  5.)  Subsequently,  He  gave  him  express  verbal 
directions  in  every  emergency.  At  the  close  of  his 
career,  the  people  covenanted  to  serve  Jehovah  and  to 
obey  His  voice,  "and  Joshua  wrote  these  words  in  the 
book  of  the  law  of  God,"  and  he  set  up  a  stone  as  a 
memorial,  "  and  said  unto  all  the  people,  Behold  this 
stone  shall  be  a  witness  unto  us ;  for  it  hath  heard  all 
the  words  of  the  Lord,  which  he  spake  unto  us."  (Josh. 
24.)  This  very  significant  act  implied  the  utmost  re- 
gard for  all  the  words  which  Jehovah  had  srjoken,  and 
which  were  written  to  express  and  perpetuate  His 
thoughts  to  all  generations. 

From  the  death  of  Joshua  to  the  reign  of  Saul,  the 
history  is  fraught  with  visible  manifestations,  miracu- 
lous interpositions,  and  specific  verbal  directions.  At 
the  commencement  of  that  period  "  the  children  of 
Israel  asked  the  Lord,  saying:  Who  shall  go  up  for 
us  against  the  Canaanites  first,  to  fight  against  them  ? 


120  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

And  the  Lord  said,  Judah  shall  go  up,  and  the  Lord 
was  with  Judah."     (Judges  1.) 

The  tribes  having  failed  to  extirpate  idolatry,  and 
rebuke  and  alarm  being  necessary  to  them,  "  The  Mes- 
senger Jehovah  came  up  from  Gilgal  to  Bochim,  and 
said :  '  I  made  you  to  go  up  out  of  Egypt,  and  have 
brought  you  into  the  land  which  I  sware  unto  your 
fathers ;  and  I  said  I  will  never  break  my  covenant, 
but  ye  have  not  obeyed  my  voice.  Why  have  ye  done 
this?'"  "And  it  came  to  pass  when  the  Messenger 
Jehovah  spake  these  words  unto  all  the  children  of  Is- 
rael, that  the  people  lifted  up  their  voice  and  wept." 
(Chap.  2.)  The  poignant  words  which  He  uttered  on 
that  occasion,  like  those  announced  from  Sinai,  affected 
the  people  at  the  time  ;  but  their  apostasy  to  idolatry 
which  had  already  begun,  was  not  arrested,  and  a  series 
of  calamities  ensued. 

When  oppressed  by  the  Midianites,  "  The  Lord  sent 
a  prophet  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  who  said  unto 
them :  '  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel,  I  brought 
you  up  from  Egypt,  and  brought  you  forth  out  of  the 
house  of  bondage,  but  ye  have  not  obeyed  my  voice.' " 
"And  the  Messenger  Jehovah  appeared  unto  Gideon, 
and  said  unto  him :  '  The  Lord  is  with  thee.'  "  Gideon 
saw  Him  "  face  to  face,"  and  received  from  Him  minute 
verbal  instructions,  commands,  and  answers  to  his  re- 
quests, confirmed  by  miracle,  during  the  events  which 
ensued.  The  passages  which  were  audibly  spoken,  are 
of  such  import,  and  occur  in  such  connections,  as  to 
demonstrate  that  the  penman  of  the  narrative  must 
have  written  the  precise  words  which  were  uttered ; 
which,  therefore,  must  have  been  inspired  into  his  mind 


OF  THE   UOLY   SCJRIPTUBEB.  121 

with   the  other   words  of  the   composition.     (Judges 
6:7,8.) 

On  the  occasion  of  raising  up  Jephtha  as  His  instru- 
ment in  delivering  the  children  of  Israel  from  the 
Ammonites,  after  they  had  "  cried  unto  Him,  saying, 
We  have  sinned  against  thee,"  "  the  Lord  said  unto 
the  children  of  Israel,  Did  I  not  deliver  you  from  the 
Egyptians?"  In  the  subsequent  recital  Jehovah  is 
appealed  to  as  the  witness  and  arbiter  of  events.  "  The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  Jephtha ;  and  the  Lord 
delivered  the  Ammonites  into  his  hands."  (Judges 
10:  11.) 

To  provide  a  Nazarite  through  whom  His  miraculous 
power  should  be  exhibited  against  the  Philistines,  the 
Messenger  Jehovah  appeared  to  Manoah  and  his  wife, 
promised  them  a  son,  and  gave  particular  directions 
concerning  him  ;  which  special  announcements  on  His 
part,  and  their  replies,  are  doubtless  recorded  in  the 
original  words.     (Judges  13.) 

Prior  to  the  war  upon  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  the 
children  of  Israel  "asked  counsel  of  God,  and  said, 
"Which  of  us  shall  go  up  first  to  the  battle — and  Jeho- 
vah said,  Judah  shall  go  up  first."  After  the  first,  and 
also  after  the  second  battle,  in  which  many  of  them 
were  slain,  they  fasted  and  worshipped,  and  "inquired 
of  the  Lord,  saying,  Shall  I  yet  go  out  to  battle  against 
the  children  of  Benjamin,  or  shall  I  cease  ?  And  the 
Lord  said,  Go  up ;  for  to-morrow  I  will  deliver  them 
into  thine  hand."  (Judges  20.)  In  this  and  in  other 
instances,  the  record  of  the  words  of  Jehovah,  in  con- 
nection with  that  of  the  extraordinary  agencies  and 
events  by  which  they  were  fulfilled,  leaves  no  room  for 
0 


122  TIIE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

any  other  conclusion  than  that  the  words  in   both 
instances  were  inspired  into  the  minds  of  the  writers. 

In  the  history  of  Samuel,  in  repeated  instances,  the 
words  spoken  to  him  by  Jehovah,  are  so  interwoven 
with  the  events  narrated,  and  often  so  essential  as  pre- 
dicting or  forming  the  basis  of  them,  as  to  imply  that 
all  the  words  of  the  record  were  equally  inspired,  and 
equally  employed  in  their  ordinary  signification. 

Thus  the  prediction,  chap.  3d,  concerning  the  house 
of  Eli :  "  And  the  Lord  said  to  Samuel,  I  will  do  a 
thing  in  Israel,  at  which  both  the  ears  of  every  one 
that  heareth  it  shall  tingle.  In  that  day  I  will  perform 
against  Eli  all  things  which  I  have  spoken  concerning 
his  house."  The  next  ensuing  chapters  record  the 
extraordinary  events  by  which  this  was  accomplished. 

When  the  people  desired  a  king,  "the  Lord  said 
unto  Samuel,  Hearken  unto  the  voice  of  the  people  in 
all  that  they  say  unto  thee ;  for  they  have  not  rejected 
thee,  but  they  have  rejected  Me,  that  I  should  not 
reign  over  them."  "  Yet  protest  solemnly  unto  them, 
and  show  them  the  manner  of  the  king  that  shall  reign 
over  them.  And  Samuel  told  all  the  words  of  the 
Lord  unto  the  people  that  asked  of  him  a  king.  And 
Samuel  heard  all  the  words  of  the  people,"  in  answer 
to  his  description  of  the  king,  "  and  he  rehearsed  them 
in  the  ears  of  the  Lord."  (Chap.  8.)  Next  follows  the 
record  of  what  preceded  the  anointing  of  Saul  to  be 
king.  "  Now  the  Lord  had  told  Samuel  in  his  ear,  a 
day  before  Saul  came,  To-morrow,  about  this  time,  I 
will  send  thee  a  man  out  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
and  thou  shalt  anoint  him.  And  when  Samuel  saw 
Saul,  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Behold  the  man  whom 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  123 

I  spake  to  thee  of."  Having  anointed  him,  he  described 
to  him  the  incidents  he  should  meet  with  on  his  way 
home,  all  of  which  "  came  to  pass  that  day."  "  And 
Samuel  called  the  people  together  unto  the  Lord,"  that 
is,  to  the  tabernacle  in  which  His  presence  was  mani- 
fested, and  said:  "  Present  yourselves  before  the  Lord 
by  your  tribes."  When  Saul  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin 
had  been  taken,  "  he  could  not  be  found.  Therefore 
they  inquired  of  the  Lord  further,  if  the  man  should 
yet  come  thither.  And  the  Lord  answered,  Behold  he 
hath  hid  himself  among  the  stuff.  And  they  fetched 
him  thence  ;  and  Samuel  said  to  all  the  people,  See  ye 
him  whom  the  Lord  hath  chosen.  Then  Samuel  told 
the  people  the  manner  of  the  kingdom,  and  wrote  it 
in  a  book,  and  laid  it  up  before  the  Lord."  (Chap. 
9  :  10.) 

In  the  12th  chapter,  Samuel  briefly  rehearses  to  the 
people  the  events  of  preceding  years,  and  the  righteous 
acts  of  Jehovah  to  them  and  their  fathers  ;  in  which  he 
quotes  the  words  which  had  been  spoken  on  particular 
occasions. 

From  the  structure  and  scope  of  the  history  of  Joshua 
and  the  Judges — the  narrative  being  made  up  of  the 
words  spoken  by  Jehovah,  those  spoken  by  the  princi- 
pal actors  in  the  scenes  described,  and  the  acts  and 
events  to  which  the  quoted  words  relate,  in  their 
natural  and  chronological  connection  with  each  other — 
the  inference  is  unavoidable,  that  all  the  words  as 
written,  were  used  according  to  their  ordinary  and  well- 
understood  signification,  and  were  all  alike  inspired 
into  the  minds  of  the  sacred  penmen.  This  inference, 
indeed,  could  not  be  more  obvious  or  more  striking 


12-i  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

were  all  the  words  of  the  history  recorded  as  having 
been  audibly  spoken.  In  the  progress  of  the  history 
there  are  prophetic  passages  intermixed  with  the  narra- 
tive of  passing  events.  The  triumphal  Song  of  De- 
borah, and  the  Song  of  Hannah,  like  that  of  Moses  at 
the  Eed  Sea,  and  that  near  the  close  of  his  ministry, 
from  all  which  quotations  are  made  elsewhere  in  Scrip- 
ture, were  without  doubt  verbally  inspired.  And 
throughout  the  narratives  in  question,  the  relation  of 
the  words  which  were  spoken,  to  those  collocated  in 
connection  with  them,  and  the  perfect  congruity  and 
consistency  between  them,  render  it  incredible  and 
absurd  to  suppose  that  some  of  the  sentences  and  parts 
of  sentences  which  are  written  were  verbally  inspired, 
and  that  the  rest  were  left  to  the  discretion  of  the 
writers. 

To  the  history  of  David  a  very  brief  notice  only  is 
requisite  ;  while  that  of  the  subsequent  kings  is  suffi- 
ciently referred  to  in  what  relate  to  the  prophets.  In 
his  last  words,  David  himself  says :  "  The  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  spake  by  me,  and  His  word  was  in  my  tongue." 
(2  Sam.  23.)  The  passages  in  his  history  in  which 
Jehovah  is  represented  as  speaking  to  him  directly  and 
through  His  prophets,  directing  his  conduct,  and  hear- 
ing and  answering  his  requests,  are  too  numerous  to  be 
specified.  His  Psalms  bear  indubitable  marks  of  ver- 
bal inspiration.  Their  inspired  and  canonical  authority 
are  abundantly  recognized  and  attested  in  the  New 
Testament,  both  by  the  Saviour  and  the  Apostles. 
They  are  in  a  large  degree  prophetic  ;  and  in  many  of 
them,  in  one  official  relation  or  another,  the  Messiah 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  125 

spoke  by  him  of  his  future  humiliation,  sufferings,  tri- 
umph, and  reign. 

The  Books  of  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and  Ezekiel  consist 
almost  wholly  of  passages  which  are  introduced  by 
such  formulas,  as  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord — The  word  of 
the  Lord  came  unto  me  saying — The  Lord  said  unto 
me — The  Lord  spake,  said,  or  hath  spoken — Speak 
Thou,  say  Thou,"  etc.,  which  occur  some  seven  hundred 
times,  as  introductory  to  successive  paragraphs. 

The  Book  of  Daniel  in  its  prophetic  announcements, 
its  record  of  miraculous  interpositions,  and  its  historical 
details,  is  fraught  with  evidence  of  its  verbal  inspira- 
tion. 

Nebuchadnezzar's  dream  concerning  the  four  con- 
secutive kingdoms,  is  a  striking  instance.  His  thoughts 
came  into  his  mind  upon  his  bed,  what  should  come  to 
pass  thereafter ;  but  having  forgotten  their  vehicle,  he 
retained  no  distinct  remembrance  of  them.  His  spirit 
was  troubled.  He  summoned  the  astrologers,  the  ma- 
gicians, and  the  soothsayers,  but  they  confessed  their 
utter  inability  to  tell  him  what  he  had  dreamed.  The 
God  of  heaven,  who  revealeth  secrets,  revealed  this 
secret  to  Daniel  in  a  night  vision.  When,  in  the  words 
which  were  inspired  into  his  mind,  he  expressed  the 
thoughts  which  Nebuchadnezzar  in  his  dream  had 
conceived  in  the  same  words,  the  king  remembered, 
and  was  so  conscious  of  them  as  the  same  words,  that 
he  fell  on  his  face,  and  said  to  Daniel :  "  Of  a  truth  it 
is,  that  your  God  is  a  God  of  gods,  and  a  Lord  of  kings, 
and  a  Revealer  of  secrets."  (Dan.  2.)  Instances  equally 
decisive  of  verbal  inspiration  -  are  exhibited  in  the 
prophecies  which  were  conveyed  to  him,  and  in  his 


126  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

record  of  the  verbal  interpretations  which  were  ex- 
pressed by  the  angel  Gabriel. 

The  lesser' prophets  all  expressly  signify  that  what 
they  wrote  was  the  Word  of  Jehovah.  Thus  :  "  The 
beginning  of  the  word  of  the  Lord  by  Hosea. — Then 
said  the  Lord  unto  me — Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,  ye 
children  of  Israel." — "  The  word  of  the  Lord  that  came 
to  Joel " — "  The  words  of  Amos,  which  he  saw  con- 
cerning Israel — Thus  saith  the  Lord — Hear  this  word 
that  the  Lord  hath  spoken  against  you — Hear  thou  the 
word  of  the  Lord." — "  The  vision  of  Obadiah.  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God  " — "  The  word  of  the  Lord  came 
unto  Jonah — The  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  Jonah 
the  second  time." — "The  word  of  the  Lord  that 
came  to  Micah — Thus  saith  the  Lord — Hear  now 
what  the  Lord  saith" — "The  book  of  the  vision  of 
Naham — Thus  saith  the  Lord." — "  The  burden  which 
Habbakuk  saw — The  Lord  said,  "Write  the  vision  and 
make  it  plain  upon  tables — O  Lord,  I  have  heard  Thy 
speech  and  was  afraid." — "  The  Word  of  the  Lord  which 
came  unto  Zephaniah" — "  Then  came  the  word  of  the 
Lord  by  Haggai  the  prophet — Then  spake  Haggai,  the 
Lord's  messenger,  in  the  Lord's  message  unto  the  peo- 
ple, saying — Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts — Again 
the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  Haggai" — "In  the 
eighth  month  came  the  word  of  the  Lord  unto  Zecha- 
riah  the  prophet,  saying — In  the  eleventh  month  came 
the  word  of  the  Lord  unto  Zechariah,  saying — Moreover, 
the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me  saying — Thus  saith 
the  Lord  of  Hosts,"  etc — "  The  burden  of  the  word  of 
the  Lord  to  Israel  by  Malachi." 

Thus  nearly  the  whole  of  the  writings  of  Moses,  the 


OF  THE  HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  127 

Psalmists,  and  the  Prophets,  consist  of  words  declared 
to  have  been  spoken  by  Jehovah,  to  the  writers,  and 
words  spoken  by  men  whom  the  writers  expressly 
mention  ;  which  words  are  so  collocated  and  intermin- 
gled with  such  other  words  as  were  necessary  to  the 
progress  of  the  narrative,  as  to  demonstrate  that  they 
were  all  inspired  into  the  minds  of  the  writers.  Thus 
"  God  at  sundry  times  and  in  divers  manners,  spake  in 
time  past  unto  the  fathers  by  the  prophets  " — and  in 
later  days,  "  by  His  Son,  whom  He  appointed  heir  of 
all  things,  and  by  whom  He  made  the  worlds." — "Holy 
men  spoke  as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost." 
— "All  Scripture  was  given  by  Inspiration  of  God." 

Of  the  prophets  to  whom  he  spoke,  near  fifty  in 
number  are  mentioned  by  name,  or  otherwise  personally 
referred  to  ;  besides  whom  a  succession  of  High  Priests 
received  responses  from  the  Sacred  Oracle.  A  citation 
of  some  incidental  references  to  them,  is  due  to  the 
subject.  "  The  Lord  heard  the  voice  of  Elijah  ;  and 
the  soul  of  the  child  came  into  him  again,  and  he  re- 
vived ;  and  Elijah  delivered  him  to  his  mother.  And 
she  said  to  him,  Now  by  this  I  know  that  thou  art  a 
man  of  God,  and  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  in  thy  mouth, 
is  truth."  (1  Kings  17.)  "And  the  Lord  spake  by  His 
servants  the  prophets,  saying,"  (2  Kings  21  :  10.) 
"And  the  Lord  sent  against  Jehoiakim  bands  of  Chal- 
dees,  according  to  the  word  of  the  Lord  which  He  spake 
by  His  servants  the  prophets."  (2  Kings  24  :  2.) 
"  Many  years  didst  thou  forbear  them,  and  testifledst 
against  them  by  Thy  Spirit  in  Thy  prophets.'1''  (Neh. 
9  :  30.)  "  Since  the  day  that  your  fathers  came  forth 
out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  unto  this  day,  T  have  even 


128  THE  PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

sent  unto  you  all  My  servants  the  prophets — yet  they 
hearkened  not  unto  Me."  (Jer.  7  :  25.)  "The  Lord  hath 
sent  unto  you  all  His  servants  the  prophets,  yet  ye 
have  not  hearkened  unto  Me,  saith  the  Lord  ;  ye  have 
not  heard  My  words."  (Jer.  25  :  4,  7,  8.)  "  Because 
they  have  not  hearkened  to  My  words,  saith  the  Lord, 
which  I  sent  unto  them  by  My  servants  the  prophets." 
(Jer.  29  :  19.)  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  :  Art  thou 
he  of  whom  i"  have  spoken  in  old  time  by  My  servants 
the  prophets  of  Israel,  which  prophesied  in  those  days, 
many  years,  that  I  would  bring  thee  against  them  ?" 
(Ezek.  38  :  17.)  "Neither  have  we  obeyed  the  voice  of 
the  Lord  our  God,  to  walk  in  His  laws,  which  He  set 
before  us  by  His  servants  the  prophets."  (Dan.  9  :  10.) 
"  I  have  also  spoken  by  the  prophets,  and  I  have  mul- 
tiplied visions,  and  used  similitudes,  by  the  ministry 
of  the  prophets."  (nosea  12  :  10.)  "  Surely  the  Lord 
God  will  do  nothing  but  He  revealeth  His  secret  unto 
His  servants  the  prophets — The  Lord  God  hath  spok- 
en, who  can  but  prophesy."  (Amos  3:7.)  "  Should 
ye  not  hear  the  words  which  the  Lord  hath  cried  by  the 
former  prophets?"  (Zech.  7  :  7,)  "the  words  which 
the  Lord  of  Hosts  hath  sent  in  His  Spirit  by  the  former 
prophets?"  (Verse  12.)  "As  He  spake  by  the  mouth 
of  His  holy  prophets,  which  have  been  since  the  world 
began."  (Luke  1  :  70.)  "  They  Lave  Moses  and  the 
prophets — let  them  hear  them  ;  if  they  hear  not  Moses 
and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they  be  persuaded  though 
one  rose  from  the  dead."  (Luke  16.)  "  O  fools,  and 
slow  of  heart  to  believe  all  that  the  prophets  have 
spoken  —  Beginning  at  Moses,  and  all  the  prophets, 
He  expounded  unto  them,  in  all  the  Scriptures,  the 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  129 

tilings  concerning  Himself."     (Luke  24.)     "  "We  have 
found  Him  of  whom  Moses  in  the  Law,  and  the  pro- 
phets did  write,  Jesus  of  Nazareth."  (John  1.)  "Those 
things  which  God  before  had  showed  by  the  mouth  of 
all  His  prophets,  that  Christ  should  suffer,  He  hath  so 
fulfilled.     All  the  prophets  from  Samuel,  and  those 
that  follow  after,  as  many  as  have  spoken,  have  like- 
wise foretold  of  these  days."     (Acts  3.)     "  To  Him 
give  all  the  proj3hets  witness."     (Acts  10.)     "  Believ- 
ing all  things  which  are  written  in  the  Law  and  in  the 
prophets."     (Acts  24.)      "  Witnessing  both  to  small 
and  great,  saying  none  other  things  than  those  which 
the  prophets  and  Moses  did  say  should  come."     (Acts 
26.)     "  Persuading  them  concerning  Jesus,  both  out 
of  the  Law  of  Moses,  and  out  of  the  prophets."    (Acts 
28.)     "The  Gospel  of  God,  which  He  had  promised 
afore  by  nis  prophets  in  the  Holy  Scriptures."  (Rom.  1.) 
"  The  righteousness  of  God,  without  the  Law,  is  mani- 
fested, being  witnessed  by  the  Law  and  the  prophets." 
(Rom.  3.)     "  But  now  is  made  manifest,  and  by  the 
Scriptures  of  the  prophets."     (Rom.  16.)     "And  are 
built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and  prophets, 
Jesus   Christ  himself  being   the  chief  corner-stone." 
(Eph.  2.)     "  Take  my  brethren  the  prophets,  who  have 
spoken  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  for  an  example." 
(James  5.)     "  That  in  the  days  of  the  voice  of  the 
seventh  Angel,  the  mystery  of  God  should  be  finished, 
as  He  hath  declared  to  His  servants  the  prophets." 
(Rev.  10.) 

These,  and  all  similar  testimonies,  proceed  upon  the 
certainty  that  the  words  which  the  prophets  wrote, 
were  the  words  of  God,  and  that  they  were  understood 


130  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

in  the  days  of  the  evangelists  and  apostles,  precisely 
as  they  were  when  originally  inspired  and  written. 
The  Scriptures  accordingly  claim  to  be  the  Word  of 
God.  They  claim  to  be  infallible  and  imperishable. 
The  word  of  the  Lord  endureth  forever.  Till  heaven 
and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  nowise  pass 
from  the  Law,  till  all  be  fulfilled.  My  words  shall 
not  pass  away.  The  word  that  I  have  spoken,  the 
same  shall  judge  him  in  the  last  day.  Forever,  0 
Lord,  thy  word  is  settled  in  heaven.  The  counsel  of 
the  Lord  standeth  forever ;  the  thoughts  of  His  heart, 
to  all  generations. 

Again,  if  reference  be  made  to  particular  classes  of 
passages,  the  conclusion  is  unavoidable,  that  they  are 
word  for  word  as  they  were  audibly  spoken  by  Jeho- 
vah to  the  Sacred  Penmen,  or  verbally  inspired  into 
their  minds  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  As,  1st.  The  confes- 
sions, supplications,  deprecations,  fears,  hopes,  prayers, 
thanksgivings,  praises,  joys,  sorrows,  of  holy  men. 
2d.  All  prophetic  passages,  and  all  notices  of  their  ful- 
fillment. 3d.  All  narratives  of  miraculous  interposi- 
tions, and  the  occasions  and  consequences  of  them. 
4th.  All  recitals  of  the  infliction  of  judgments  and  ca- 
lamities upon  individuals  and  nations,  and  the  circum- 
stances, reasons,  and  results  of  them  ;  as  in  the  case  of 
the  Deluge,  the  destruction  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah, 
the  plagues  of  Egypt,  the  curse  pronounced  upon  the 
whole  race  in  their  first  parents,  that  inflicted  upon 
Cain,  that  upon  Ham  and  his  descendants,  that  upon 
Achan,  and  others,  in  every  period  of  the  Theocratic 
rule.  5.  All  descriptions  and  denunciations  of  Idola- 
try, and  of  other  crimes  and  abominations  ;  all  biogra- 


OF   THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  131 

phical  notices  of  individuals,  good  and  bad ;  all  state- 
ments of  their  motives,  acts,  virtues,  and  crimes ;  all 
statements  relating  to  angels,  good  and  bad,  to  Satan, 
to  the  invisible  world,  to  heaven,  to  the  place  of  retri- 
bution, to  time,  and  to  eternity. 

The  words  of  Scripture  must  necessarily  be  the 
infallible  words  of  God,  if  they  involve  Ilis  authority 
in  any  degree.  For  they  express  His  thoughts,  His 
purposes,  counsels,  covenants,  laws,  promises.  They 
describe  his  acts,  as  Creator,  Euler,  and  Eedecmer, 
express  the  rules  by  which  He  deals  with  men,  and  the 
grounds  and  reasons  of  His  conduct.  They  relate  to 
the  execution  of  one  comprehensive  plan,  which  in- 
volves His  glory  and  the  well-being  of  the  universe. 
They  prescribe  the  conduct  of  men  in  their  relations  as 
accountable  and  immortal  creatures.  They  relate  to 
the  events  of  time,  and  to  the  retributions  of  eternity. 
On  obedience  to  them,  life  and  death  are  suspended. 
"  Set  your  hearts  unto  all  the  words  which  I  testifiy 
among  you  this  day,  which  ye  shall  command  your 
children  to  observe  to  do  all  the  words  of  this  Law." — 
"  I  have  set  before  thee  this  day,  life  and  good,  and 
death  and  evil,  in  that  I  command  thee  to  love  the 
Lord  thy  God,  to  walk  in  His  ways,  and  to  keep  His 
commandments,  and  His  statutes,  and  His  judgments, 
that  thou  mayest  live."     (Deut.) 

The  historical,  as  well  as  the  didactic  and  prophetic 
parts  of  the  Scriptures,  relate  to  covenants  which  were 
sanctioned  by  the  oath  of  Jehovah,  and  the  fulfillment 
of  which  involves  the  agency  and  destiny  of  men  ;  to 
a  particular  covenant  which  is  everlasting,  and  is  or- 
dered in  all  things  and  sure ;  and  to  promises  which, 


132  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

as  yet,  are  but  partially  fulfilled.  Hence  the  homo- 
geneousness  and  consistency  of  the  several  parts,  though 
written  at  different  periods  ;  and  the  fact  that  they  con- 
tain not  a  single  expression  inconsistent  with  their 
claim  of  plenary  verbal  inspiration.  They  had  one 
omniscient  and  immutable  Author,  who  alone  com- 
prehended the  details  of  His  plan,  and  the  natures  and 
relations  of  all  things,  and,  therefore,  could  determine 
what  should  be  inspired  and  written.  His  whole  pro- 
cedure in  the  creation  and  government  of  the  world  and 
of  the  universe,  is  a  manifestation  of  Himself,  of  His 
perfections,  prerogatives,  and  rights  on  the  one  hand,  and 
of  the  natures,  dispositions,  and  conduct  of  creatures  on 
the  other.  The  words  which  He  has  inspired,  relate  to 
things  comprised  in  this  scheme  of  manifestation,  and 
are  as  infallible  expressions  of  His  thoughts,  as  His  works 
are  of  His  being,  wisdom,  power,  holiness,  justice,  good- 
ness, and  truth.  Hence  the  transactions  and  events 
which  are  mentioned  in  Scripture,  are  represented  to 
be  according  to  His  word,  or  fulfillments  of  His  word. 
"  Christ  died  and  was  buried,  and  rose  again,  according 
to  the  Scriptures. — The  Scriptures  must  be  fulfilled. — • 
The  Scripture  can  not  be  broken. — The  Scripture  saith 
unto  Pharaoh:  Even  for  this  same  purpose  have  I 
raised  thee  up,  that  I  might  show  my  power  in  thee, 
and  that  my  name  might  be  declared  throughout  all 
the  earth. — Ye  do  err,  not  knowing  the  Scriptures  nor 
the  power  of  God." 

In  all  that  relates  to  His  own  acts  and  purposes,  all 
that  relates  to  His  moral  laws,  commands,  precepts,  and 
prohibitions — all  that  relates  to  the  work  of  redemp- 
tion, to  the  Church,  and  to  the  future  state,  and  equally, 


OF  THE  HOLY   SCRIPTUKES.  133 

in  all  things  connected  with  these,  His  words  must  be 
as  infallible  as  He  Himself  is.  Accordingly  all  good  is 
bestowed  in  fulfillment  of  His  words  of  promise  and 
grace ;  and  all  evils  are  inflicted  for  disobedience  to 
II is  words. 

Again,  the  words  of  Scripture,  are  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit  in  changing  men  from  darkness  to  light,  subdu- 
ing their  wills,  enlightening  and  sanctifying  them  ;  and 
they  are  the  words  through  which  faith  is  exercised 
by  men.  "  The  sword  of  the  Spirit  is  the  word  of 
God."  "  The  Spirit  of  God  maketh  the  reading,  but 
especially  the  preaching  of  the  word,  an  effectual 
means  of  convincing  and  converting  sinners,  and  of 
building  them  up  in  holiness  and  comfort,  through 
faith  unto  salvation."  (Catechism.)  "  The  word  of  God 
is  quick  and  powerful,  and  is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts 
and  intents  of  the  heart."  (Rom.  8.)  "  Except  a  man 
be  born  of  the  Spirit,  he  can  not  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  God. — It  is  the  Spirit  that  quickeneth — the 
words  that  I  speak  unto  you,  they  are  spirit  and  they 
are  life. — Of  His  own  will  begat  He  us  with  the  word 
of  truth. — Now  ye  are  clean  through  the  ivord  which 
I  have  spoken  unto  you. — Faith  cometh  by  hearing, 
and  hearing  by  the  word  of  God. — The  righteousness 
which  is  of  faith,  speaketh  on  this  wise — The  word  is 
nigh  thee,  even  in  thy  mouth  and  in  thine  heart :  that 
is  the  word  of  faith  which  we  preach  :  that  if  thou  shalt 
confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  be- 
lieve in  thy  heart  that  God  hath  raised  Him  from  the 
dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved.  For  with  the  heart,  man 
belie veth  unto  righteousness ;  and  with  the  mouth, 
confession  is  made  unto  salvation." — "Justifying  Faith 


134  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

is  a  saving  grace,  wrought  in  the  heart  of  a  sinner  bj 
the  Spirit  and  word  of  God,"  etc.  (Ass.  Catechism.) 
"  The  seed  is  the  word  of  God — the  sower  soweth  the 
word — they  that  hear  and  keep  it,  bring  forth  fruit." — 
"  I  have  manifested  Thy  name  unto  the  men  which  Thou 
gavest  me  out  of  the  world— and  they  have  kept  Thy 
word — I  pray  for  them — neither  pray  I  for  these  alone ; 
but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe  on  Me  through 
their  word."  (John  17.)  "  Christ  loved  the  Church, 
and  gave  Himself  for  it,  that  He  might  sanctify  and 
cleanse  it  with  the  washing  of' water  by  the  word. — We 
thank  God  without  ceasing,  because,  when  ye  received 
the  word  of  God,  which  ye  heard  of  us,  ye  received  it 
not  as  the  word  of  men,  but  as  it  is  in  truth  the  word 
of  God,  which  effectually  worketh  also  in  you  that 
believe." 

All  this,  and  all  that  relates  either  to  the  Divine  or 
to  human  agency  in  the  salvation  of  men,  implies  that 
the  words  of  Scripture,  which  men  are  to  believe  in 
order  to  their  being  justified  and  sanctified,  endure  for- 
ever, and  are  infallible :  insomuch  that  no  other  than 
the  originals,  and  words  which  express  the  same 
thoughts  into  which  the  originals  may  be  translated, 
will  subserve  the  agency  of  the  Spirit,  or  the  exercise 
of  faith.  For  such  words  only  express  the  thoughts 
of  the  Kevealer,  concerning  the  things  to  which  the 
agency  of  the  Spirit  relates,  and  those  which  men  are 
to  believe  ;  and  those  things  are  forever  the  same,  un- 
der all  dispensations.  Faith,  justification,  and  sanctili- 
cation  are  ever  the  same.  Abraham  believed  God — 
the  words  of  God — and  was  justified;  he  obeyed  His 
words,  and  was  sanctified ;  his  faith  is  the  pattern  of 
that  of  believers  in  everv  asre. 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  135 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

WORDS  NECESSARILY  AND  PERFECTLY  REPRESENT  AND 
EXPRESS  THE   THOUGHTS  CONCEIVED  IN  THEM. 

Because  words  are  the  constituted  instrument  and 
vehicle  of  thought,  and  we  conceive  thoughts  in  words, 
and  not  without  or  independently  of  them,  they  neces- 
sarily and  perfectly  express  the  thoughts  conceived  in 
them.  As  conceived,  they  represent  to  the  intellect, 
as  when  written  to  the  eye,  and  when  spoken  to  the 
ear,  all  that  we  are  conscious  of  in  the  act  of  thinking. 
Sensations,  feelings,  and  emotions  are  subject  to  no  fixed 
or  uniform  rules.  But  words  are  regulated  and  re- 
stricted in  their  office.  As  the  vehicle  and  representa- 
tive of  thought,  they  are  its  perfect  counterpart  and 
correlate.  As  well  might  one  pretend  to  see  objects 
which  do  not  exist,  or  are  not  visible,  and  which, 
therefore,  he  can  not  be  conscious  of  seeing — or  to  hear 
sounds  which  he  is  not  conscious  of  hearing — as  to  pre- 
tend that  he  has  thoughts  of  which  he  is  not  conscious, 
or  which  differ  in  kind  or  degree  from  those  of  which 
their  vehicle  makes  him  conscious.  "Words  exist 
solely  to  be  the  instrument  and  medium  of  thought, 
as  the  visibility  of  objects  exists  that  they  may  be  seen, 


136  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

and  the  audibility  of  sounds  that  they  may  be  heard._ 
If  successive  acts  of  seeing  the  same  identical  objects 
so  as  perfectly  to  distinguish  them,  were  not  uniform 
and  certain,  the  power  of  seeing,  so  far  from  fulfilling 
its  purpose,  would  but  mislead  and  confuse.  If  suc- 
cessive sounds  were  not  so  heard  as  uniformly  and  per- 
fectly to  distinguish  one  sound  from  another,  the  power 
of  hearing,  instead  of  guiding,  would  confound  us.  So 
as  to  the  power  of  thinking.  If  the  vehicle  of  thought 
were  not  necessarily,  uniformly,  and  perfectly  commen- 
surate with  the  thoughts  conceived,  we  could  have  no 
certainty  as  to  what  our  thoughts  were.  Whether  as 
to  thoughts  intellectually  conceived  in  words,  or  thoughts 
vocally  expressed  to  us  by  our  fellow-men,  it  is  plain 
that  we  can  no  further  comprehend  and  be  conscious 
of  them,  than  the  words  employed  perfectly  represent 
and  express  them.  All  that  we  know,  in  either  case,  is 
the  meaning  of  the  words  employed  in  each  particular 
instance.  Hence  the  necessity  of  learning  the  meaning 
of  words  in  order  to  conceive  in  them  the  thoughts 
which  they  represent  and  are  intended  to  express,  and 
to  understand  by  them  the  thoughts  of  others  who 
speak  or  write  them.  No  man  receives  the  thoughts 
of  another,  if  expressed  in  a  tongue  foreign  to  him ; 
nor  can  he  conceive  thoughts  which  in  his  own  or  other 
tongues  are  represented  only  by  words  unknown  to 
him. 

Now  inspiration,  as  its  effects  show,  comprised  a 
correct  conception  of  the  meaning,  the  form,  and  the 
sounds  of  the  words  in  which  the  inspired  thoughts 
were  conveyed,  so  that  the  sacred  writers  were  rendered 
conscious  of  the  thoughts,  and  were  qualified  to  con- 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  137 

ceive  them  iu  the  same  -words,  and  to  express  them 
intelligibly  and  perfectly  by  speaking  and  by  writing. 
Their  words,  therefore,  necessarily  represented  and  ex- 
pressed the  thoughts  of  which  they  were  made  con- 
scious by  inspiration.  And  if  they  expressed  the 
thoughts  at  all,  they  must  have  expressed  them  per- 
fectly ;  for  they  were  the  vehicles  and  correlates  of  the 
thoughts,  and  all  that  they  knew  of  the  thoughts  they 
were  made  conscious  of  by  the  words. 

This  will  readily  be  granted  with  respect  to  the 
words  which  are  recorded  as  having  been  spoken  by 
the  Most  High,  Creator,  Lawgiver,  Euler,  and  Re- 
deemer of  men.  For  if  those  words  do  not  perfectly 
express  the  thoughts  which  He  intended  to  convey 
and  to  have  us  conceive  in  them,  then  we  can  not  be 
certain  that  we  know  what  His  thoughts  are  upon  any 
subject,  and  can  not  regard  the  Scriptures  as  His 
word.  They  are  not  a  revelation  unless  they  really 
convey  His  thoughts  to  us ;  and  if  they  do  not  per- 
fectly and  infallibly  convey  them,  we  are,  as  truly  as 
the  heathen,  in  darkness  concerning  our  relations  to 
Him,  what  we  are  to  believe,  and  what  duties  He  re- 
quires of  us.  But  if  they  do  so  express  and  convey 
His  thoughts,  then  we  must  conclude  that  the  words 
written  in  connection  with  them  in  the  Scriptures,  per- 
fectly express  the  thoughts  which  they  represent ;  for 
the  two  classes  are  intimately  intermingled,  equally 
significant  and  intelligible,  equally  necessary  to  the 
scope  and  meaning  of  sentences  and  paragraphs,  and 
of  necessity  from  their  purport  and  relations,  must 
have  been  alike  inspired  into  the  minds  of  the  writers. 

The  words  employed  in  the  Scriptures,  excepting 


138  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

those  which  conveyed  thoughts  previously  unknown  to 
men,  are  such  as  were  in  common  use  at  the  time,  and 
of  which  the  meaning  was  perfectly  understood ;  which 
implies  that  as  used  in  Scripture  they  perfectly  express 
the  thoughts  which  they  there  represent ;  for  they 
largely  refer  to  the  objects  and  affairs  of  common  life, 
and  to  be  intelligible,  must  have  been  used  according 
to  the  common  acceptation  on  which  all  faith  and  con- 
fidence among  men  depended.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
words  employed  to  convey  thoughts  previously  un- 
known to  the  writers,  both  those  which  were  entirely 
new,  and  those  which  were  previously  in  familiar  use, 
are  employed  in  conformity  with  the  same  laws  of  lan- 
guage as  the  words  which  convey  thoughts  previously 
known.  New  and  old  words  are  intimately  collocated 
and  connected  with  each  other  in  the  composition. 
And  the  fact  that  such  new  words  to  express  new 
thoughts,  were,  in  the  connections  in  which  they  are 
written,  audibly  spoken  or  expressly  inspired  by  the 
Divine  Eevealer,  is  conclusive  evidence  that  they  per- 
fectly expressed  His  thoughts. 

By  far  the  greater  part,  comprising  several  large 
classes  of  the  words  employed  by  the  sacred  penmen, 
indubitably  and  perfectly  expressed  the  thoughts  which 
they  represented,  for  they  related  to  things  which  have 
undergone  no  change,  and  which,  accordingly,  they 
still  exactly  represent.  Such  are  the  names  and  desig- 
nations of  the  Divine  Being ;  the  terms  by  which  His 
attributes,  acts,  purposes,  predictions,  laws,  and  pro- 
mises are  expressed ;  the  proper  names  of  men,  of 
places,  and  of  innumerable  things  animate  and  inani- 
mate ;  the  relations,  faculties,  acts,  and  duties  of  men ; 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  139 

numbers,  proportions,  relations,  and  qualities  of  things ; 
sin,  holiness,  repentance,  faith,  and  other  moral  quali- 
ties and  distinctions ;  love,  joy,  sorrow,  ease,  pain,  and 
other  emotions  and  sensations.  In  short,  all  the  words 
which  relate  to  the  creation,  the  nature,  the  acts,  the 
moral  condition,  and  the  experience  of  man,  and  all 
that  relate  to  the  Divine  Being  and  His  acts  ;  and  all 
likewise  that  relate  to  the  invisible  world,  to  death,  to 
the  resurrection,  to  the  judgment,  to  a  future  existence, 
to  the  holy  and  to  fallen  angels.  If  these  words, 
which  essentially  constitute  the  Scriptures,  did  not,  as 
inspired,  perfectly  express  and  convey  to  those  who 
knew  their  meaning,  the  exact  thoughts  which  they 
represented  and  were  intended  to  convey ;  then  we 
have  no  certainty  that  we  know  the  truth  in  any  par- 
ticular concerning  the  Divine  Being,  or  the  subjects  of 
either  of  the  classes  of  words  above  referred  to.  For 
if  the  thoughts  which  these  words  represent  are  not 
precisely  the  thoughts  of  Ilim  who  inspired  them,  then 
they  do  not  reveal  His  thoughts.  If  any  one  of  the 
classes  referred  to,  that  which  relates  to  the  Divine 
Being,  or  that  which  relates  to  the  invisible  world,  do 
not  truly  represent  His  thoughts,  then  we  can  have  no 
evidence  that  any  of  the  other  classes  truly  represent 
His  thoughts,  and  no  part  of  the  Scriptures  can,  with 
propriety,  be  called  His  word. 

A  revelation  from  God  is  a  communication  of  His 
thoughts  in  such  manner  that  they  may  be  intelligently 
apprehended  and  understood  by  man.  A  revelation 
when  audibly  spoken,  or  when  committed  to  writing, 
must  be  expressed  in  words,  and  in  words  which  intel- 
ligibly and  definitely  express  and  convey  the  thoughts 


140  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

which  they  arc  employed  to  represent  and  reveal.    For 
otherwise  they  either  would  reveal  nothing  or  no  one 
could  determine  what  they  revealed.     The  language 
employed  must,  therefore,  have  preexisted  with  a  defi- 
nite meanirig  corresponding  to  the  thoughts  to  be  ex- 
pressed, and  with  such  rules  of  usage  and  construction 
as  to  render  it  intelligible  :  or  it  must  have  been  mira- 
culously formed  and  appropriated  to  its  office  when 
first  employed  as  a  medium  of  instruction  to  man,  and 
a  knowledge  of  its  meaning  must  at  the  same  time  have 
been  imparted  to  him.     The  language  first  spoken  to 
man,  was  spoken  by  his  Creator,  and,  therefore,  be- 
yond a  doubt,  perfectly  expressed  His  thoughts.     It 
may  have  preexisted.     It  may  have  been  the  language 
of  His  eternal  counsels,  as  it  was  of  His  subsequent 
counsels  and  covenants.     It  may  have  been  spoken  to 
angels  and  by  them,  as  it  afterwards  was.     It  may  have 
been  as  perfect  as  an  expression  of  the  thoughts  repre- 
sented by  it,  and  in  all  other  respects,  as  the  marks  or 
figures  of  mathematical  notation,  are  for  the  purpose 
for  which  they  exist,  or  as  the  diatonic  scale  in  music 
is  for  the  expression  of  melodious  sounds.     The  num- 
ber of  possible  mathematical  figures  and  arithmetical 
combinations  is  limited.     The  number  of  distinct  mu- 
sical notes  and  musical  sounds  is  limited.     The  number 
of  letters  and  of  articulate  alphabetic  sounds  is  also 
limited.     These,  and  their  combinations  in  words,  are  as 
susceptible  of  having  a  fixed  and  definite  signification, 
as  they  are  of  distinct  articulate  pronunciation,  or  as 
arithmetical  figures  are  of  denoting  distinct  and  defi- 
nite numbers,  or  as  a  gamut  is  of  representing  distinct 
musical  sounds.     And  the  rules  according  to  which 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  141 

syllables,  words,  and  sentences  are  formed,  so  as  to 
express  grammatically  and  perfectly  the  thoughts 
which  they  represent,  are  inherently  and  necessarily  as 
uniform  and  imperative  as  the  rules  by  which  figures 
are  combined  to  express  different  numbers,  quantities, 
or  proportions,  and  as  the  rules  by  which  musical 
notes  and  vocal  sounds  are  combined  to  express  differ- 
ent musical  tones.  Some  thoughts  can  neither  be  con- 
ceived nor  expressed  directly  and  without  circumlo- 
cution, in  any  other  than  a  single  word.  Thus  the 
word  ten  alone  expresses  the  simple  thought  of  that 
aggregate  of  units,  as  the  word  one  does  that  of  a  sin- 
gle unit.  So  of  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  objects 
of  our  senses,  and  of  their  qualities  and  relations. 
Such  arc  the  root  words  of  every  language.  But  deri- 
vations, expressions  of  complex  or  modified  thoughts 
are  often  represented  by  one  or  more  synonyms,  or 
approximately  synonymous  words,  of  which  some 
are  more  and  some  less  comprehensive  of  the  thought 
to  be  expressed  in  particular  instances.  The  reason 
why  particular  words,  and  not  others,  are  employed  as 
numerals,  is  precisely  the  same  as  the  reason  why  par- 
ticular words  and  not  others  are  employed  to  express 
other  facts  and  truths  of  every  description.  It  is 
usage,  in  every  instance,  that  determines  the  appropri- 
ation and  significance  of  particular  words.  By  usage 
they  are  known  and  understood  to  express  particular 
thoughts.  Our  thoughts  of  numbers — mathematical 
truths — may  be  more  definite  and  invariable  than  our 
thoughts  of  moral  truths;  but  it  is  in  no  degree  owing 
to  the  words  selected  to  express  them,  but  wholly  to 
the  degree  of  our  knowledge,  the  applicability  and  in- 


142  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

fluence  of  our  primary  beliefs,  and  tlie  greater  or  less 
clearness  of  our  conceptions. 

Mr.  Locke,  so  far  as  he  is  consistent  with  himself  in 
his  speculations,  treats  of  ideas  as  quite  distinct  and 
different  from  thoughts — an  idea  being,  as  defined  by 
him,  "  "Whatsoever  is  the  object  of  the  understanding, 
when  a  man  thinks."  But  when  he  comes  to  consider 
numbers,  he  is  forced  to  perceive  that  we  think  of  them, 
and  can  think  of  them,  only  in  words,  and  that  the  in- 
tellectual power  of  numeration,  in  the  case  of  each  and 
every  individual,  is  absolutely  bounded  by  his  know- 
ledge of  the  words  used  to  signify  numbers.  He  cites, 
in  illustration  of  this,  the  case  of  uncivilized  men 
whom  Tie  had  examined,  who  "  could  reckon  very  well 
to  twenty,  but  could  not  by  any  means  count  to  one 
thousand,  because  their  language  being  scanty,  and  ac- 
commodated only  to  the  few  necessaries  of  a  needy, 
simple  life,  unacquainted  either  with  trade  or  mathe- 
matics, had  no  words  in  it  to  stand  for  a  thousand,  so 
that,  when  they  were  discoursed  with  of  those  greater 
numbers,  they  would  show  the  hairs  of  their  head  to 
express  a  great  multitude,  which  they  could  not  num- 
ber ;  which  inability,  I  suppose,  proceeded  from  their 

want  of  names And  I  doubt  not  but  we 

ourselves  might  distinctly  number  in  words  a  great  deal 
further  than  we  usually  do,  would  we  find  out  but 
some  fit  denominations  to  signify  them  by."  (Book  2, 
§§  5, 6.)  Had  the  author  perceived  the  same  thing  and 
reasoned  in  the  same  way,  concerning  all  the  subjects 
of  his  inquiry,  his  Essay  might  have  been  free  from 
its  objectionable  doctrines,  and  productive  only  of  a 
wholesome  influence.     Neither  the  savage  nor  the  civ- 


OF  THE  HOLY  BOBIPTUBBB.  143 

ilized  have  any  distinct  thoughts  either  of  numbers  or 
of  any  thing  else,  any  further  than  they  have  a  know- 
ledge of  words  in  which  to  conceive  and  by  which  to 
express  their  thoughts. 

The  design  and  adaptation  of  the  vocal  organs  to 
be  exercised  in  speaking,  of  the  auditory  organs  to 
be  exercised  in  hearing,  and  of  the  visual  in  seeing, 
are  founded  in  the  physical  and  mental  constitution  of 
man.  Those  organs  are  alike  perfect  as  instruments  of 
receiving  and  imparting  intelligence.  The  effects  of 
their  exercise  are  the  results  of  their  organization,  and 
are  uniform.  Words  spoken  as  certainly  and  necessa- 
rily convey  the  thoughts  which  they  signify  as  the 
hearing  of  them  proves  the  utterance  of  articulate 
sounds,  or  as  the  seeing  of  physical  objects  proves  the 
reality  of  their  visible  presence.  In  a  word,  there  can, 
in  the  nature  of  the  case,  be  no  less  reason  why  lan- 
guage should  correspond  perfectly  in  significance  to  the 
thoughts  represented  by  it,  and  why  the  intellectual 
conception  and  consciousness  of  thoughts  by  means  of 
words  unspoken  and  unwritten  should  be  precisely  the 
same  as  when  occasioned  by  hearing  the  words  vocally 
pronounced,  or  reading  them  in  print ;  than  why  the 
same  external  objects  as  seen  at  different  times,  under 
the  same  conditions,  should  appear  to  be  precisely  the 
same.  Uniformity  of  effect  is  as  necessary  and  as 
important  in  the  one  case  as  in  the  other.  Words,  ac- 
cordingly, are  by  the  purpose  and  appointment  of  the 
Creator  in  the  organization  and  constitution  of  man, 
the  necessary  medium,  representative,  and  instrument 
of  thought ;  and  they  perfectly  fulfill  their  office. 

Nevertheless  there  are  not  wanting  those  who  inia- 


144  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

gine  that  they  have  thoughts  •which  they  can  not  ex- 
press in  words,  while  others  with  equal  reason,  profess 
to  see  while  their  eyes  are  closed  and  bandaged,  and 
to  see  things  in  the  interior  or  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  globe,  and  to  hear  voices  where  there  are  no  audi- 
ble sounds.  The  writings  of  the  first  of  these  classes 
are  designed  to  show  that  words  are  wholly  incompe- 
tent to  express  some  thoughts,  and  insufficient  perfectly 
to  express  any.  Yet  they  labor  hard  to  convey  their 
own  thoughts  to  their  fellow-mortals,  by  this  inadequate 
and  fallacious  medium.  And  though  they  necessarily 
fail  to  furnish  any  evidence  that  they  have  any  thoughts 
which  they  have  not  words  to  express,  they  exhibit  a 
degree  of  skill  in  using  words  in  such  a  way  as  to  sig- 
nify nothing,  and  thereby  subject  themselves  to  the 
obloquy  of  not  being  understood.  Were  their  theory 
true,  we  must  needs  conclude  that  the  whole  race  had 
from  the  beginning  been  insane  in  supposing  that 
they  had  understood  each  other's  thoughts  by  their 
words ;  while  any  attempt  to  instruct  men  orally  or  by 
books,  must,  of  course,  be  fruitless,  and  an  effort  made 
under  the  sway  of  the  hallucination,  to  show  that  the 
theory  is  true,  must  be  set  down  as  merely  ridiculous. 

It  is  obviously  quite  as  necessary  to  man  in  respect 
to  all  his  relations,  interests,  responsibilities,  and  duties, 
that  his  words,  as  intellectually  conceived,  and  as 
spoken  and  written,  should  perfectly  represent  his 
thoughts  and  all  of  them,  as  that  his  sight  should  per- 
fectly distinguish  all  the  objects  of  vision,  and  his  hear- 
ing all  articulate  sounds. 

If  it  were  not  a  provision  of  his  constitution,  a  law 
of  his  physical  and  mental  organization,  that  each  par- 


OF  THE  HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  145 

ticular  sound,  intonation,  and  musical  note  should  be 
heard  and  uniformly  distinguished  from  all  other 
sounds  ;  and  that  each  visible  object  should,  under  the 
same  conditions,  be  seen  and  uniformly  distinguished 
from  all  other  visible  objects,  man  could  not  exist. 
And  if  it  were  not  an  inherent  law  of  his  constitution, 
that  his  words  should  express  his  thoughts  so  as  per- 
fectly to  represent  them,  he  could  not  exist  as  a  moral 
and  social  being.  Nay,  since  he  is  conscious  of  think- 
ing only  in  words,  if  his  words  were  not  the  exact 
measure  and  real  pattern  and  matrix  of  all  his  thoughts, 
his  consciousness  could  afford  no  certainty  as  to  what 
he  was  thinking  Of. 

The  absurdity  of  a  contrary  theory  may  be  illus- 
trated by  supposing  that  the  same  external  objects  did 
not  always  appear  to  the  eye  to  be  the  same ;  that  the 
human  person,  for  example,  as  seen  at  successive  inter- 
vals, appeared,  now  in  its  natural  form,  then  in  that  of 
a  quadruped,  a  reptile,  or  a  vegetable;  or  that  the 
same  sounds  did  not  uniformly  strike  the  car  so  as  to 
be  distinguished  as  the  same  j  that  musical  chords  had 
the  effect  of  discords,  vocal  articulation,  that  of  undis- 
tinguishable  noises,  without  meaning,  alternately  with 
that  of  distinct  and  significant  sounds.  Such,  accord- 
ingly, is  the  argument  and  illustration  in  the  inspired 
words  written  by  the  Apostle  Paul,  1  Cor.  14 :  1-33 — 
the  grounds  of  which  are  that  God  is  not  the  author  of 
confusion,  and  that,  according  to  the  nature  and  con- 
stitution of  things  as  ordained  by  Him,  words  represent 
thoughts,  and  are  to  be  spoken  in  such  a  language  or 
so  interpreted,  as  to  convey  the  thoughts  to  those  who 
hear.  tlThinga  without  life  <.ii>'ii"i  sound,  whether  pipe 
7 


146  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

or  harp,  unless  they  give  a  difference  to  the  notes,  both  in 
tone  and  in  time,  how  shall  it  be  known  what  is  piped  or 
harped  ?  Such  unmeaning  sounds  are  a  fit  image  of 
unintelligible  language,  both  in  their  nature  and  in 
their  effe.ts.  And  therefore  if  the  trumpet,  instead  of 
sounding  those  notes  whose  meaning  is  understood  bj 
the  soldiers,  shall  give  an  unknown  sound,  who  in  that 
case  will  prepare  himself  for  battle?  So  also  ye,  when  ye 
speak  by  inspiration  in  your  public  assemblies,  unless 
toith  the  tongue  ye  utter  intelligible  speech,  hoiv  shad  it  be 
known  what  is  spoken  t  Therefore,  however  important 
the  things  ye  speak  may  be,  ye  xcill  be  speaking  into  the 
air,  like  madmen.  There  are  no  doubt  as  many  kinds  of 
languages  used  in  the  world  as  ye  speak,  and  none  of  them  is 
without  signification  to  those  who  are  acquainted  with 
them.  Nevertheless,  if  I  do  not  knoiv  the  meaning  of  the 
language  that  is  uttered,  I  shall  be  to  the  person  who 
speaketh  a  foreigner,"  etc.  (Macknight's  paraphrase.) 
The  intellectual  as  well  as  the  physical  capacities  of 
man  are  limited;  and  the  modes  in  which  they  are 
exercised  and  manifested  are  likewise  limited.  The 
modes  in  which  he  perceives  external  objects,  the 
modes  in  which  he  manifests  his  thoughts,  and  the 
objects  of  perception  and  thought  are  limited.  By 
means  of  five  senses  all  his  perceptions  of  external 
objects  take  place.  By  means  of  language,  and  signs, 
all  the  manifestations  of  his  thoughts  to  others  are 
effected.  But  there  is  order  and  congruity  between  his 
senses  and  their  objects,  and  his  thoughts  and  the 
means  by  which  he  expresses  them.  Those  qualities 
of  objects  which  are  perceptible  through  the  senses, 
correspond   in   species  and  in  distinctness  from  each 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  147 

other,  to  the  senses  appropriated  to  them ;  and  for  each 
distinct  thought,  there  is  a  distinct  word  or  sign,  which 
is  known  to  those  who  intelligibly  express  their 
thoughts. 

The  objects  of  perception  and  thought  are  limited,  in 
number,  variety,  and  all  those  characteristics  which  are 
perceptible  to  us,  and  of  which  we  have  words  to  ex- 
press our  thoughts.  Of  large  classes  of  them,  indeed) 
the  limit,  at  least  in  respect  to  our  capacity,  is  fixed  in 
the  constitution  which  the  Creator  originally  establish- 
ed, and  so  fixed  as  to  be  conclusively  ascertained  by 
us.  Thus  we  are  so  constituted  as  to  be  capable  of 
uttering  by  the  voice  and  distinguishing  by  the  ear, 
only  forty  different  articulate  sounds  ;  nor  is  it  possible 
for  us  to  conceive  in  thoughts,  or  describe  in  words  any 
other  simple  or  elementary  sounds.  So  of  the  distinct 
colors  which  we  perceive  by  the  eye ;  and  the  elements 
into  which  all  physical  substances  are  resolvable  by 
chemical  analysis.  Whether  with  a  visual  organ  of 
greater  capacity  other  distinct  colors  would  be  percepti- 
ble, or  whether  with  greater  powers  of  analysis  the 
elements  in  which  our  chemistry  terminates  would  be 
further  resolvable,  is  more  than  we  know. 

The  same  may  be  observed  of  other  departments  of 
knowledge — as  of  that,  for  example,  of  the  elements  and 
axioms  of  arithmetical  and  mathematical  knowledge,  and 
that  of  geometrical  figures.  All  these  are  as  perfectly 
distinct  from  each  other,  as  are  the  numbers  one  and 
two ;  they  are  the  objects  invariably  of  the  same  dis- 
tinct thoughts;  we  have  distinct  words  whereby  to  ex- 
press them  ;  we  can  think  of  them,  not  apart  from,  but 
only  in  connection  with  those  words,  as  we  hear  them 


118  THE  PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

pronounced,  read  them  as  figured  or  written,  silently 
recall  them  to  remembrance,  or  give  them  vocal  utter- 
ance. And  we  can  no  more  think  of  any  of  those 
elements  or  figures  apart  from  the  words  by  which  Ave 
express  them,  than  we  can  conceive  in  thought  or  ex- 
press in  words  other  and  wholly  different  numbers,  re- 
lations, axioms,  and  figures. 

The  question  is  not  whether  there  are  in  the  realms 
of  nature,  objects  of  sense,  which  our  senses  are  neither 
designed  nor  competent  to  perceive  ? — nor  whether  the 
intellect  of  a  created  being  is  of  a  nature  to  be  capable 
of  thinking  without  any  coincident  use,  instrumentality, 
or  knowledge  of  words? — but,  whether  man,  physi- 
cally and  mentally  constituted  and  circumstanced  as  he 
is,  ever  actually  has  or  can  have,  any  distinct  thoughts, 
any  intellectual  perceptions  or  cognitions,  original  or  re- 
membered, apart  from  words  ?  If  he  has,  and  yet  can 
not  express  them  in  words,  then  he  can  not  be  con- 
scious of  them  himself,  nor  remember  them,  nor  give 
any  sort  of  evidence  that  he  has  them.  For  no  one 
consciously  thinks,  compares  or  reasons  in  silence, 
otherwise  than  in  words,  as  when  he  speaks  or  writes 
his  thoughts ;  nor  ever  consciously  remembers  thoughts 
disconnected  from  words.  If  such  thoughts  arc 
imagined  to  exist,  then  they  must  be  fancied  to  have 
the  same  relative  place,  with  those  objects  of  sense,  if 
there  be  such,  which  our  senses  can  not  discover. 

To  characterize  such  inexpressible  thoughts  as  un- 
spoken is  to  attempt  to  describe  by  words  what,  by  the 
supposition,  we  have  no  words  to  represent ;  and  is  like 
attempting  to  describe  sensations  supposed  to  be  pro- 
duced by  external  objects  which  are  beyond  the  reach 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  149 

of  our  senses.     The  fallacy  arises  from  the  mistaken 
notion — to  which  reference  is  hereafter  more  particu- 
larly to  be  made — that  words  stand  for  things,  instead 
of  simply  and  exclusively  representing  thoughts.     It  is 
the  sole  office  of  words  to  be  the  medium  of  thoughts, 
intellectually,  vocally,  and  in  writing  ;  and  they  fulfill 
that  office  perfectly  in  respect  to  all  the  thoughts  of 
which  we  are  conscious.     If,  like  sensations,  they  sig- 
fied  only  tilings,  it  might  be  necessary  to  imagine  a  vast 
store-house  of  thoughts  which,  owing  to  their  incom- 
petence and  the  unfitness  of  our  vocabulary,  could  not 
be  expressed.     Whereas  we  have  words  for  all  our 
thoughts,  which  are  as  perfect  as  our  thoughts  are,  and 
will  convey  our  meaning  to  others  who  understand  the 
words  as  precisely  and  fully  as  we  comprehend  it  our- 
selves.    He  who  has  clear  and  precise  thoughts,  will 
as  certainly  have  words  whereby  to  convey  them  to 
others  with   clearness  and  precision,  as   he  who  has 
perfect  organs  of  vision  will  be,  perfectly  to  see  and 
distinguish  visible  objects;  or  as  he  whose  auditory  or- 
gans are  perfect,  will  be,  perfectly  to  hear  and  distin- 
guish audible  sounds.     And  it  would  be  every  whit  as 
rational  to  suppose  that  the  objects  which  we  see  and 
the  sounds  which  we  hear  were  not  what  those  organs 
were  constituted  and  intended  to  perceive,  as  to  sup- 
pose that  our   words,    the  vocal   utterances  of   our 
thoughts,  did  not  signify  and  express  them.     He  who 
complains  that  he  has  not  words  to  express  his  thoughts, 
does  but  confess  that  he  lacks  the  thoughts  themselves, 
or  has  them  only  in  a  confused,  indeterminate,  and  un- 
intelligible state. 

It  has  been  argued  that  a  verbal  expression  of  our 


150  THE   PLENARY-  INSPIRATION 

thoughts  concerning  colors,  sounds,  or  other  objects  of 
sensational  perception,  to  those  who  have  never  expe- 
rienced the  corresponding  sensations,  fails  to  convey  to 
them  ideas  of  colors,  sounds,  etc.,  and  therefore  that 
language  is  imperfect  and  inadequate.  But  it  does  not 
follow  that  because  the  vocal  utterance  of  words  does 
not  fulfill  the  peculiar  office  of  seeing  and  hearing,  and 
other  senses,  therefore  it  does  not  perfectly  fulfill  its  own 
peculiar  office.  It  is  not  pretended  that  words  represent 
colors,  or  sounds,  or  sensations.  It  is  their  office  to  re- 
present and  express  thoughts,  and  that  they  perfectly  ac- 
complish. For  example :  the  word  blue  is  the  name  of 
a  color  of  which  we  attain  a  knowledge  only  by  sight. 
The  word  thunder  is  the  name  of  a  sound  which  we 
know  by  hearing.  The  word  pain  is  the  name  of  a 
sensation  which  we  know  by  suffering  it.  "When  we 
have  experienced  what  these  names  denote,  and  learned 
what  they  are  employed  to  signify,  we  think  of  the 
several  sensations  in  the  words  appropriated  to  them 
respectively.  When  we  utter  those  words  in  the  hear- 
ing of  those  who  from  their  own  experience  understand 
them,  they  perfectly  convey  our  thoughts.  To  utter 
them  to  those  who  have  had  no  such  experience  is  but 
the  same  as  to  utter  them  to  persons  who  are  deaf, 
dumb,  and  paralytic  ;  and  is  to  no  more  purpose  as  an 
argument  in  opposition  to  the  perfect  sufficiency  of 
words  to  express  our  thoughts,  than  it  would  be  to  say 
that  because  the  blind  and  deaf  can  not  see  and  hear, 
therefore  the  organs  of  sight  and  hearing  are  not  per- 
fect and  adequate  to  their  object.  It  is  those  only  who 
take  words  to  be  the  signs  of  things,  who  imagine  them 
to  be  inadequate  to  their  office,  because  they  do  not 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  151 

convey  the  sensations  of  sounds  and  colors,  as  well  as 
the  thoughts  which  the  names  of  those  sensations  re- 
present. Words,  as  truly  as  our  senses,  are  instru- 
ments or  channels  of  information,  the  one  concerning 
our  thoughts,  the  other  concerning  external  objects. 
It  is  not  the  part  of  either  of  them  to  supersede  or  to 
perform  the  office  of  the  other. 

The  soul  acts  and  is  acted  on  through  the  organs  of 
the  body.  The  senses  are  its  instruments,  in  relation 
to  the  external  world.  The  visual  and  auditory  organs 
are  among  its  instruments  of  perception,  and  sensation, 
which  precede  our  thoughts  concerning  those  phenome- 
na. The  vocal  organs  are  the  instruments  of  express- 
ing thoughts  in  words.  Words  are  the  instruments  by 
which  the  soul  thinks  and  is  conscious  of  its  thoughts. 
The  difference  between  these  instrumentalities  lies  in 
tli is,  that  those  which  are  merely  physical  organizations, 
as  the  eye  and  ear,  produce  their  effects  mechanically 
and  without  an  intervention  of  the  will.  The  open  eye 
in  the  presence  of  visible  objects,_secs,  whether  the  will 
consents  or  not.  Whereas  the  act  of  thinking  proceeds 
directly  from  the  will,  and  involves  responsibility 
which  attaches  to  the  words  employed  to  signify  and 
express  the  thoughts,  and  by  using  which  the  act  of 
the  soul  in  thinking  is  exerted.  Hence  the  certainty 
that  words  are  the  instruments,  the  constituted  and 
necessary  vehicle  of  all  our  thoughts.  Our  responsi- 
bility begins  with  the  act  of  the  will,  which  is  realized 
to  the  soul  in  a  consciousness  of  what,  when  expressed 
by  the  vocal  organs,  we  call  words.  The  act  of  the 
will,  the  thought,  and  the  consciousness  of  it  in  a  form 
equivalent  to  the  mind  to  a  verbal  expression  of  it  to 


152  THE   PLENARY   INSINUATION 

the  ear,  are  coincident.  Hence  successive  thoughts  are 
the  result  of  successive  acts  of  the  will ;  and  we  are 
conscious  of  them  in  the  order  of  that  succession,  as 
when  we  give  them  vocal  utterance.  We  can  no  more 
think  of  two  distinct  objects  or  the  names  of  them  at 
the  same  time,  than  we  can  pronounce  those  names 
simultaneously.  The  exercise  of  the  will  is,  therefore, 
as  necessary  to  the  production  of  any  one  thought  as  to 
that  of  any  other,  and  as  necessary  to  the  production  of 
each  successive  thought  as  the  exercise  of  the  vocal 
organs  is  to  each  successive  vocal  expression.  We  not 
only  remember  thoughts  in  the  words  by  which  they 
were  expressed,  but  we  remember  them  in  the  syllabic 
succession  of  vocal  utterance. 

Because  words  which  we  employ  as  names  of  sensi- 
ble objects  do  not  express  all  the  particular  thoughts 
we  have  concerning  the  natures,  qualities,  relations,  and 
uses  of  those  objects,  those  words  are  alleged  by  some 
to  be  imperfect  and  inadequate ;  as  though  they  would, 
if  perfect,  express,  respectively,  not  one,  only,  but 
scores  of  distinct  thoughts.  But  it  might,  on  the  same 
ground,  and  with  equal  reason,  be  alleged  that  the 
visual  organ  is  imperfect,  since  to  see  an  object  is  to 
see  only  its  outline  or  surface,  not  its  internal  structure 
and  qualities.  It  is  on  the  contrary  a  perfection  of 
language  corresponding  to  perfection  in  the  exercise  of 
the  intellect  according  to  its  constitution,  and  perfec- 
tion in  the  vocal  organs  and  their  exercise,  that  words 
represent  only  the  distinct  thoughts  which  they  are 
expressly  employed  to  signify ;  some  to  represent  the 
thoughts  which  are  signified  by  the  names  of  objects ; 
others,  those  which  relate  to  the  natures,  qualities,  and 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  158 

other  particulars  of  those  objects.  For  thus  it  is  that 
words  are  made  to  represent  distinctly  all  the  thoughts 
we  have.  Our  intellectual  constitution  is  such  that,  on 
the  one  hand,  all  those  objects  of  any  particular  class, 
which  are  generally  alike,  or  in  one  or  more  respects 
identical,  however  numerous  and  diverse  the  details, 
are  comprehensible  under  one  name — that  is,  one  word, 
while  the  diversities  and  details  are  distinguishable  by 
other  words ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  all  our  intel- 
lectual notions,  to  whatever  they  relate,  are  conceived 
by  us  in  words  which  are  already  known  to  us  in  some 
physical  or  mental  relation,  and  which  we  appropriate 
to  new  conceptions  ;  or  are  conveyed  to  us  by  words 
spoken  or  written,  which  we  hear  or  read. 

Thus  is  our  knowledge  regulated  in  its  acquisition, 
and  limited  in  extent.  Words  result  from  our  mental 
and  physical  constitution  as  thinking  and  speaking, 
seeing  and  hearing  do.  To  imagine  that  we  know  any 
tiling  which  we  have  not  words  to  express,  is  equiva- 
lent to  imagining  that  we  hear  sounds  which  are  not  au- 
dible, and  perceive  in  matter  what  is  beyond  the  reach 
of  our  senses.  "We  can  no  more  conceive  intellectually 
of  any  thing  without  words,  than  we  can  see  without 
visual  or  hear  without  auditory  organs.  It  may  per- 
tain to  our  constitution  that  the  thoughts  which  result 
from  our  involuntary  sensations,  should  excite  the  in- 
tellect and  the  will  to  conceive  thoughts  other  than 
those  which  it  is  the  province  of  sensation  to  originate. 
The  power  to  think  and  to  conceive  new  thoughts, 
may  thus  be  put  in  operation  by  the  enginery  and 
prior  action  of  the  senses ;  and  the  thoughts  so  con- 
ceived may  comprise  what  some  denominate  intuitions ; 
7* 


154  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

but  however  that  may  be,  and  from  whatever  influ- 
ence they  may  result,  they  are  spontaneously  and  inva- 
riably conceived  in  words,  and  words  whose  significa- 
tion is  of  course  identical  with  the  thoughts  of  which 
they  are  thus  the  matrix,  and  which  they  perfectly  re- 
present and  express  when  sj)oken  and  written. 

Intellect  is  a  part  of  our  nature,  and  as  a  created 
organism  is  as  perfect  as  any  of  the  adjunct  organs  of 
sense.  It  operates  organically  according  to  its  nature, 
as  the  organs  of  sense  do  according  to  theirs.  That 
intellectually  to  conceive  thoughts  in  words  therefore, 
and  not  otherwise,  should  be  a  result  of  organization — 
a  law  of  intellectual  action,  is  no  more  remarkable, 
than  that  distinct  and  diverse  sensations  of  sight  should 
be  a  result  of  the  organic  structure  and  operation  of  the 
eye.  The  connection  of  the  will  with  thoughts  and 
words  intellectually  conceived,  and  with  the  feelings 
which  they  excite  gives  them  their  moral  character 
and  significance.  The  difference  between  the  ortho- 
graphy and  the  vocal  sounds  of  the  words  in  different 
languages  which  represent  and  express  the  same 
thoughts,  originates,  not  in  the  intellectual  organism  in 
conceiving  thoughts  in  words,  but  in  the  antecedent 
and  accustomed  articulations  of  the  words  of  the  re- 
spective languages.  Hence  words  inspired  into  the 
mind  of  a  Greek,  conveying  though  ts  to  be  understood 
and  to  be  spoken  and  written  by  him,  will  be  in  sound, 
articulation,  and  orthography,  Greek  words.  If  he  be 
individually  familiar  with  but  few  and  simple  words, 
the  inspired  words  will  be  the  same,  or  correspond  in 
simplicity  with  those  previously  known  to  him.  And 
here  lies  the  ground  of  confidence  in  translations.     As 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCKIPTUliES.  155 

the  words  originally  inspired  perfectly  conveyed  the 
thoughts  which  they  were  intended  to  express,  so  the 
words  of  equivalent  signification,  in  the  same  connec- 
tions in  other  languages,  when  substituted  for  the  origi- 
nals, will  perfectly  convey  the  same  thoughts  :  accord- 
ing to  the  example,  1  Cor.  14,  where  the  words  of 
those  who  spoke  in  tongues  unknown  to  the  audience, 
were  to  be  translated  by  others  by  the  articulation  of 
equivalent  words  which  the  hearers  understood.  In 
like  manner  with  respect  to  uninspired  words :  men  of 
different  nations  conceive  the  same  precise  thoughts  in 
the  peculiar  words  of  their  respective  tongues ;  and 
possess  themselves  of  each  other's  thoughts  by  each 
substituting  his  own  for  the  foreign  words  of  the 
other. 

It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  the  words  which  we  cm- 
ploy  in  our  intellectual  conceptions  are,  for  the  most 
part,  the  same,  or  derivatives  from  the  same,  which 
were  previously  in  use  in  relation  to  sensational  per  • 
ceptions  and  objects  of  sense  ;  and  hence  the  secondary 
significations,  which  are  founded  in  real  or  conceived 
analogies,  and  the  figurative  and  poetical  use  of  words, 
and  those  intellectual  visions  of  agents,  objects,  acts, 
aud  effects,  in  which  analogous  things  are  symbolically 
represented. 

The  most  respectable  attempt  which  we  have  met 
with  to  prove  the  imperfection  of  language,  by  argument 
and.  induction,  is  exhibited  by  Mr.  Dugald  Stewart  in 
that  part  of  his  Philosophical  Essays,  in  which  he  re- 
futes t  lie  peculiar  notions  of  Mr.  Home  Tooke:  where  he 
endeavors  to  show  that  words  spoken  or  written,  in- 
stead of  being  the  vehicle  by  which  the  thoughts  of  the 


156  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

speaker  or  writer  are  conveyed  to  the  hearer,  do  but 
serve  the  insignificant  purpose  of  stimulating  his  mind 
to  think.  Presuming  that  this  acute  and  practised 
writer  has  done  the  best  that  could  be  done,  to  estab- 
lish, or,  at  least,  to  impart  a  degree  of  plausibility  to 
the  view  which  he  adopts,  and  that  he  has,  however, 
succeeded,  notwithstanding  the  imperfection  which  he 
ascribes  to  language,  in  conveying  his  own  thoughts  to 
his  readers  by  means  of  the  words  which  he  employs ; 
we  deem  it  worth  the  while  to  examine  what  he  says. 
We  can  not  help  surmising,  however,  at  the  outset, 
that  he  had  not,  in  this  instance,  a  perfectly  clear  con- 
ception of  the  import  and  relations  of  what  he  said ; 
and  that  the  special  view  which  he  took  of  the  office 
and  effect  of  words,  was  induced  by  his  zeal  to  subvert 
the  erroneous  theories  of  the  writers  whom  he  opposed. 
The  leading  proposition  in  the  first  series  of  his  Essays, 
is,  that  we  have  many  primary  beliefs,  notions,  or  ideas, 
the  suggestion  of  which  to  the  mind,  is  occasioned,  not 
by  sensation  or  consciousness,  or  by  any  external  influ- 
ence, but  by  the  exercise  of  certain  of  our  mental  facul- 
ties. These  ideas  he  seems  to  have  conceived  of 
as  existing  independently  of  words ;  a  delusive  and 
futile  abstraction,  precisely  on  a  level  with  that  of  con- 
ceiving of  geometrical  problems  independently  of  lines, 
curves,  and  angles.  To  treat  of  those  ideas  as  things 
having  a  potential  existence  before  we  are  conscious  of 
them,  is  to  transcend  the  bounds  of  consciousness,  and 
utter  words  without  significance.  No  sooner  do  they 
exist  as  thoughts  than  we  are  conscious  of  them ;  but 
we  are  conscious  of  them  only  in  and  by  means  of  the 
words  which  express  and  represent  them.     That  there 


OF   THE   HOLY   SCRIPTUltES.  157 

is  in  the  constitution  of  the  mind  a  foundation,  capacity, 
susceptibility,  of  experiencing  those  normal  beliefs,  con- 
victions, intuitions,  of  being  excited  to  think  those 
thoughts  and  of  actually  thinking  them,  is  as  plain  as 
that  there  is  a  foundation  for  feeling  sensations,  hear- 
ing audible  sounds,  and  seeing  visible  objects.  But 
when  we  think  either  of  sensations  or  intuitions,  words 
are  the  matrix  and  vehicle  of  our  thoughts. 

The  fallacy  pertaining  to  this  disquisition,  which 
arises  from  his  partial  view  of  what  we  are  actually 
conscious  of,  clings  to  his  refutation  of  the  philological 
speculations  of  Mr.  Tooke  ;  and  if  it  did  not  occasion, 
it  forms  a  principal  element  of  all  his  observations  con- 
cerning the  imperfection  of  language. 

"  Wc  speak."  he  says,  l:  of  communicating,  by  means  of  words,  our 
ideas  and  our  feelings  to  others ;  and  wo  seldom  reflect  sufficiently  on 
the  latitude  with  which  this  metaphorical  (?)  phrase  ought  to  be  under- 
stood. The  truth  is,  that,  even  in  conversing  on  the  plainest  and  moat 
familiar  subjects,  however  full  and  circumstantial  our  statements  may 
be,  the  words  which  we  employ,  if  examined  with  accuracy,  will  be 
found  to  do  nothing  more  than  to  suggest  -hints  to  our  hearers,  leaving 
by  far  the  principal  part  of  the  process  of  interpretation  to  be  performed 
by  the  mind  itself.  In  this  respect,  the  effect  of  words  bears  some  re- 
semblance to  tho  stimulus  given  to  the  memory  and  imagination,  by  an 
outline  or  a  shadow,  exhibiting  tho  profile  of  a  countenance  familiar  to 
tho  senses.  ...  In  reading,  for  example,  tho  enunciation  of  a  pro- 
position, we  are  apt  to  fancy,  that  for  every  word  contained  in  it,  thcro 
is  an  idea  presented  to  the  understanding;  from  the  combination  and 
comparison  of  which  ideas,  results  the  act  of  the  mind  called  judgment. 
So  different  is  all  this  from  the  fact,  that  our  words,  when  examined 
separately,  arc  often  as  completely  insignificant  as  the  letters  of  which 
they  are  composed;  deriving  their  meaning  solely  from  the  connection, 
or  relation,  in  which  they  stand  to  others.  Of  this  a  very  obvious  ex- 
ample occurs,  in  tho  case  of  terms  which  have  a  variety  of  acceptations, 
and  of  which  the  import,  in  every  particular  application,  must  be  cl»1- 
lect  'I  from  tho  whole  sentence  of  which  they  form  a  part." 


158  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

Having  alleged  this  necessity  of  comprehending  the 
words  of  a  sentence  according  to  their  import  in  the 
connection  and  relation  to  each  other  in  which  they 
are  arranged,  in  order  to  express  the  thought  which 
they  are  intended  to  convey,  as  an  inherent  imperfec- 
tion of  language,  he  goes  on  to  say  that  the  imperfec- 
tion is  great  and  palpable  in  proportion  as  the  words 
of  a  sentence  are,  in  their  arrangement,  more  or  less 
capable  of  being  transposed ;  and  greatest  of  all  when 
complex  or  abstract  notions  are  to  be  spoken  of. 
Thus: 

"In  reading,  accordingly,  the  most  perspicuous  discussions,  in  which 
such  notions  form  the  subject  of  the  argument,  little  instruction  is  re- 
ceived, till  we  have  made  the  reasonings  our  own,  by  revolving  the  steps 
again  and  again  in  our  thoughts.  The  fact  is,  that,  in  cases  of  this 
sort,  the  function  of  language  is  not  so  much  to  convey  knowledge 
(according  to  the  common  phrase)  from  one  mind  to  another;  as  to 
bring  two  minds  into  the  same  train  of  thinking ;  and  to  confine  them 
as  nearly  as  possible  to  the  same  track.  Many  authors  have  spoken  of 
the  wonderful  mechanism  of  speech;  but  none  has  hitherto  attended  to 
the  far  more  wonderful  mechanism  which  it  puts  into  action  behind  the 
scene." 

We  humbly  conceive  that  the  difficulty  which  Mr. 
Stewart  regarded  as  an  imperfection  in  language,  is 
in  fact  in  no  degree  of  that  nature,  but  arises  wholly 
from  ignorance,  negligence,  or  other  defects  in  speak- 
ers and  writers  and  in  hearers  and  readers.  He  who 
conceives  thoughts  clearly,  and  utters  them  distinctly 
in  the  words  in  which  he  conceives  them,  does  all  that 
is  needful  on  his  part  to  convey  them  to  other  minds. 
lie  expresses  his  own  thoughts  as  he  conceives  them, 
in  the  words  which  signify  them  to  his  own  conscious- 
ness, and  which,  understood  as  he  understands  them, 


OF   THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  159 

are  their  exact  echo  and  representative  to  others.  The 
difficulty,  or  ground  of  alleged  imperfection,  lies,  not 
in  any  inherent  or  real  imperfection  in  language  as  the 
vehicle  of  thought;  but  wholly  in  the  fact,  that  from 
e  lucation  and  habit,  from  different  degrees  of  know- 
ledge as  to  the  usage  and  the  proper  and  received  sig- 
nification of  words,  or  from  prejudice,  partisanship, 
or  other  causes  which  influence  their  understandings 
and  their  wills,  speakers  and  hearers,  readers  and  writers, 
do  not  uniformly  and  upon  all  subjects,  understand  the 
same  words,  however  arranged  and  related,  as  signify- 
ing the  same  thoughts.  A  writer  who,  upon  a  subject 
which  is  equally  well  understood  by  all  his  readers, 
and  equally  familiar  to  them  as  a  subject  of  daily  con- 
versation, employs  only  such  words  as  are  in  familiar 
and  constant  use  respecting  it,  will,  in  those  words,  per- 
fectly convey  his  thoughts  to  his  readers.  He  will 
convey  them  in  the  words  in  which  he  conceives  them, 
and  for  the  reason  that  they  are  perfectly  signified  by 
those  words  as  he  understands  them ;  and  for  the  same 
reason  they  will  receive  them  in  those  words. 

Accordingly  upon  all  the  subjects  and  in  all  the  in- 
stances, in  which  it  is  impossible  for  the  reader  to  dif- 
fer from  the  writer  as  to  the  signification  of  the  words 
which  he  employs  to  express  his  thoughts — as  proper 
names ;  local,  topical,  geographical,  national,  and  other 
designations;  legal,  theological,  political,  scientific, 
philosophical,  technical,  and  professional  terms ;  num- 
bers, proportions,  qualities,  weights,  measures,  etc., 
ptc. ;  they  understand  his  words,  in  the  connections  ami 
relations  in  which  he  employs  them,  in  the  same  sense 
with  him,  and  he  perfectly  conveys  his 'thoughts   to 


\ 

160  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

them  in  the  words  in  which  both  lie  and  they  alike 
conceive  them. 

But  upon  other  subjects,  in  other  instances,  and  in 
every  case,  just  in  proportion  as  the  reader  is  deficient 
of  knowledge  of  the  appropriation,  usage,  and  meaning 
of  the  words  employed  by  a  writer,  the  writer  by  the 
use  of  those  words  will  fail  to  convey  his  thoughts  to 
such  reader;  and  this  we  apprehend  is  what  Mr. 
Stewart  erroneously  treats  as  an  imperfection  of  lan- 
guage. The  argument  of  this  generally  lucid  and  ele- 
gant writer,  proceeds  upon  the  assumption,  that  if 
language  were  not  inherently  and  necessarily  imper- 
fect, it  would  convey  the  thoughts  of  a  writer  as  per- 
fectly to  a  reader  who  did  not  understand  and  compre- 
hend the  signification,  arrangement,  and  relations  of  the 
words  employed  by  him,  as  to  one  who  did,  or  to  one 
who  by  patiently  revolving  and  studying  the  words  of 
a  sentence,  upon  a  complex,  abstract,  or  otherwise  ob- 
scure and  difficult  subject,  should  at  length  fully  attain 
the  thoughts  of  the  writer.  As  well  might  he  argue, 
that  if  man's  eyes,  the  instruments  of  his  visual  per- 
ceptions, were  not  imperfect,  he  would  discern  objects 
that  were  shrouded  in  darkness,  as  clearly  as  he  could 
discern  the  same  or  other  objects  in  broad  daylight ; 
and  that  the  function  of  the  eye  was  not  so  much  to 
convey  knowledge  of  the  object  seen,  as  to  excite  and 
stimulate  the  visual  faculty.  Language,  correctly  un- 
derstood and  used,  is,  as  the  medium  of  thought,  as 
perfect,  as  is  the  eye  as  the  medium  of  vision ;  and 
were  men's  knowledge  and  use  of  it  as  perfect  as  the 
organic  action  of  the  eye,  they  would  universally  think 
alike,  and  upon  abstruse  as  well  as  upon  plain  and 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  161 

familiar  subjects,  would  perfectly  convey  their  thoughts 
to  each  other  by  their  words ;  and,  notwithstanding  the 
extreme  diversity  in  the  degrees  of  their  knowledge  of 
words,  it  is  certain  that,  generally,  and  in  respect  to  all 
matters  of  familiar  thought  and  experience,  they  do 
actually  think  alike,  and,  by  their  words,  do  perfectly 
express  and  convey  their  thoughts  to  each  other.  To 
assert  the  contrary  is  to  contradict  the  experience  and 
consciousness  of  all  classes  of  men.  Were  the  con- 
trary true,  the  affairs  of  domestic,  social,  and  political 
life  could  not  go  on :  the  enactment  and  publication  of 
laws,  the  terms  of  contracts,  the  execution  of  deeds 
and  wills,  the  testimony  of  witnesses,  the  verdicts  of 
juries,  the  decisions  of  courts,  would  determine  no- 
thing. Speaking  and  writing  would,  as  really  in  one 
case  as  in  another,  be  the  greatest  of  all  absurdities. 
It  could  not  with  certainty  be  known  by  the  words  of 
a  sentence  whether  it  expressed  an  affirmative  or  a 
negative,  a  premise  or  an  induction,  a  question  or  an 
answer. 

Mr.  Locke  admits  that,  to  understand  each  other, 
men  must  understand  and  use  words  alike.  But  in- 
stead of  holding  that  ideas  or  thoughts  are  conveyed 
from  one  mind  to  another  by  words,  he  contends  that 
it  is  the  design  and  end  of  speech  to  excite  thought  in 
other  minds,  and  assumes  that  if  the  hearer  under- 
stands the  words  of  the  speaker  just  as  he  does,  they 
will  excite  him  to  cogitate  the  same  thoughts.  This, 
however,  amounts  to  much  more  than  merely  exciting 
the  hearer's  mind  to  think.  It  amounts  to  no  less  than 
saying,  that  if  men  understand  each  other's  words  alike, 
each  will  perfectly  convey  his  thoughts  to  the  other  by 


162  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

his  words,  and  not  merely  excite  the  other's  mind  to 
think,  and  so  bring  two  minds,  as  Mr.  Stewart  has  it, 
into  the  same  train  of  thinking.  On  their  theory,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  give  a  reason  why  it  is  neces- 
sary for  speaker  and  hearer  to  understand  words  alike. 
If  the  end  or  effect  of  speaking  is,  not  to  convey  ideas, 
but  only  to  excite  the  hearer  to  think,  why  should  par- 
ticular words  which  they  understand  alike  be  neces- 
sary ?  According  to  the  theory  those  words  would  not 
convey  any  thoughts  whatever,  and  could,  therefore, 
furnish  no  clue  by  which  to  determine,  or  even  to 
guess,  what  the  ideas  of  the  speaker  were.  How, 
then,  could  they  '  bring  two  minds  into  the  same  train 
of  thinking,  and  put  them  upon  the  same  track '  ?  It 
is  plainly  impossible  that  they  should  have  any  such 
effect,  unless  they  embodied  the  same  definite  concep- 
tions in  the  minds  of  those  who  understood  them  alike, 
and  actually  conveyed  the  thoughts  of  one  mind  to 
another.  Accordingly,  the  cases  to  which  Mr.  Locke, 
Mr.  Stewart,  and  others,  apply  this  theory,  by  way  of 
illustrating  and  upholding  their  notions  of  the  imper- 
fection of  language,  are  exclusively  cases  in  which, 
from  ignorance  or  prejudice,  men,  whether  upon  sim- 
ple or  upon  complex  and  abstract  subjects,  do  not 
understand  the  same  things  by  the  same  words.  Were 
they  equally  instructed  and  equally  candid,  the  alleged 
imperfection  of  language  would  disappear.  The  fault 
would  be  perceived  to  be  not  an  imperfection  of  lan- 
guage, but  a  defect  of  education  and  use.  No  one,  it 
is  presumed,  will  deny  that  each  man  perfectly  under- 
stands his  own  thoughts  by  his  words.  His  words, 
therefore,  as  he  understands  them,  perfectly  signify  his 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCKIPTUEES.  163 

thoughts  to  his  own  consciousness.  The  same  words, 
understood  as  he  understands  them,  will  as  perfectly 
signify  the  same  thoughts  to  the  intelligent  conscious 
ness  of  another  man.  And,  therefore,  if  they  converse 
together,  each  using  words  as  they  both  understand 
them,  will  by  his  words  perfectly  convey  his  thoughts 
to  the  other.  If  this  were  not  absolutely  true  in  fact 
and  in  universal  experience,  instruction,  education, 
science,  philosophy,  theology  would  be  unmeaning 
terms ;  speaking,  writing,  reading,  would  be  futile  and 
absurd. 

Mr.  Locke's  Essay,  Book  3d,  "  Of  "Words  or  Lan- 
guage," proceeds  upon  the  assumption  that  words  stand 
for  things  or  for  ideas,  as  defined  by  him  to  be  the  ob- 
jects of  the  understanding  when  a  man  thinks ;  and 
that  language  is  imperfect  in  the  same  degree  that 
words  fail  to  signify  the  nature  or  essence,  and  the 
modes,  qualities,  and  characteristics  of  the  things  to 
which  they  relate.  It  would  be  tedious,  and  perhaps 
useless,  to  add  any  thing  to  what  has  already  been  said 
in  opposition  to  these  notions.  Undoubtedly  they  lie 
at  the  foundation  of  all  the  past  and  present  theories 
of  the  inherent  and  necessary  imperfection  of  lan- 
guage; and  they  are  so  deeply  rooted  in  the  systems 
of  metaphysics,  and  have  so  long  held  an  undisputed 
sway  in  the  schools  of  literature  and  philosophy,  that 
if  a  bare  statement  of  their  erroneousness,  and  of  the 
impossibilities  and  absurdities  which  they  involve,  does 
not  suffice  to  confute  them,  a  more  formal  and  extended 
confutation  is  required  than  the  limits  of  the  present 
volume  will  permit. 

It  is  not  more  certain  that  man  exists,  than  that  he 


16-i  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION" 

thinks,  and  is  conscious  of  and  expresses  his  thoughts 
in  words.  As  he  exists,  he  is  a  compound  creature, 
comprising  soul  and  body.  As  such  a  creature,  lie 
thinks  and  acts  organically.  He  thinks  organically  in 
that  orderly  grammatical  succession  which  is  exhibited 
in  spoken  and  written  sentences.  He  thinks  organically 
in  the  words  which  constitute  such  sentences.  He  is  con- 
scious of  his  thoughts  in  those  words,  and  not  otherwise. 
His  knowledge  of  the  meaning  of  the  words  is  prerequi- 
site to  his  thinking.  He  is,  therefore,  taught  the  mean- 
ing of  the  words  which  are  necessary  in  his  infancy,  and 
afterwards  such  as  are  necessary  to  his  wants,  his  occu- 
pations, his  duties,  station,  profession,  or  inclination. 
He  thinks  by  a  law  of  his  nature  which  governs  alike 
the  succession  of  his  thoughts  and  the  succession  of 
the  words  in  which  he  thinks.  To  his  consciousness 
his  words,  as  intellectually  conceived,  are  his  thoughts. 
As  spoken,  his  words  are  his  thoughts  audibly  uttered. 
As  written,  his  words  are  his  thoughts  visibly  ex- 
pressed. By  the  words  which  he  speaks  and  writes  he 
is  known  to  others,  precisely  as  he  knows  himself  by 
the  words  which  he  consciously  thinks.  Language  is 
just  as  necessary  a  condition  of  his  thinking  as  light  is 
of  his  seeing,  and  sound  of  his  hearing.  He  was  con- 
stituted to  think  in  words,  and  only  by  means  of  words 
as  truly  and  exclusively  as  he  was  constituted  to  see 
only  by  means  of  light  and  to  hear  only  by  means  of 
sound.  His  capacity  of  thinking  is  dormant  without 
words,  or  equivalent  signs,  and  is  bounded  by  his 
knowledge  of  words ;  as  his  capacity  of  seeing  is  dor- 
mant without  light,  and  of  hearing  without  sound. 
His  capacity  of  thinking  is  enlarged  by  additions  to  his 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPT UHES.  165 

knowledge  of  words,  as  his  capacities  of  seeing  and 
hearing  are  enlarged  by  artificial  aids  and  facilities. 

These  observations  might  easily  be  confirmed  and 
illustrated  to  any  extent,  by  particular  reference  to  the 
experience  of  individuals  and  communities,  and  to  the 
effects  of  classical,  scientific,  and  professional  studies, 
as  well  as  the  effects  of  instruction  in  the  nursery  and 
in  the  common  schools  and  seminaries.  In  every  de- 
partment and  condition  of  life,  those  have  the  greatest 
power  of  thinking  on  given  subjects,  who  have  attained 
the  most  extensive  and  most  accurate  knowledge  of 
words  relating  to  them;  because,  as  they  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  the  words  pertaining  to  any  subject,  they 
acquire  the  thoughts  which  those  words  convey,  and 
are  enabled  to  think  the  same  thoughts  in  the  same 
words.  It  is  unphilosophical  and  absurd  to  speak  of 
what  they  learn  as  a  knowledge  of  things,  separate  and 
distinct  from  their  knowledge  of  words.  Beyond  the 
narrow  range  of  their  senses,  they  know  nothing  of 
tlungs  any  further  than  they  know  the  meaning  of  the 
words  which  define  and  describe  them.  They  think 
what  they  have  been  taught  and  in  the  words  in  which 
they  were  taught.  Men  of  the  same  class,  condition, 
habits,  employments,  and  religion,  have  for  the  most 
part  only  the  same  thoughts,  and  employ  only  the 
same  words.  New  thoughts  are  propagated  among 
them  only  as  new  words  are  devised  by  them  or  intro- 
duced from  without. 

These  remarks  may  suffice  as  an  answer  to  the  theo- 
ries which  for  many  years  have  been  propagated  by 
the  leading  German  authors  concerning  the  origin, 
office,  and  relations  of  language ;  among  which  that 


166  THE    PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

of  W.  von  Humboldt  contains,  perhaps,  more  glimpses 
of  truth  and  of  common-sense,  than  any  of  the  rest. 
Their  extreme  proclivity  to  treat  every  question  scien- 
tifically, leads  them  into  vague,  artificial,  and  bewilder- 
ing generalizations,  in  which  they  lose  themselves,  and 
vainly  waste  their  energies  and  their  time  in  essays  to 
explain  what  is  inexplicable  and  make  known  what  is 
unknowable,  while  they  forget  or  neglect  what  is  clearly 
within  the  sphere  of  our  consciousness,  observation,  and 
experience.  They  discuss  not  the  facts  of  individual 
experience,  but  the  inscrutable  causes  of  all  the  pheno- 
mena of  language,  upon  theories  assum  d  to  be  of  uni- 
versal application,  while  their  rationalistic  and  Panthe- 
istic notions  of  revelation,  inspiration,  and  religion, 
exclude  from  them  the  lights,  restraints,  and  aids  of  the 
infallible  word  of  God. 

Those  metaphysical  writers  who  endeavor  to  main- 
tain the  uncertainty  of  language,  as  though  there  was 
in  the  nature  of  the  case  no  ground  of  certainty  that 
the  same  words  when  used  by  different  individuals 
concerning  the  same  subjects  and  under  the  same  cir- 
cumstances, expressed  the  same  thoughts  and  conveyed 
the  same  meaning,  not  only  stultify  themselves  by 
using  words  to  convey  their  own  thoughts  to  others, 
but  contradict  experience.  Men  do,  in  fact,  convey 
their  thoughts,  truly  and  perfectly,  to  each  other  by 
their  words.  "When  they  employ  words  dishonestly, 
the  words  nevertheless  import  the  same  to  the  hearer 
or  reader  as  if  they  were  honestly  used.  The  dishon- 
esty does  not  affect  the  proper  meaning  of  the  words. 
It  lies  further  back  in  the  intention  of  the  speaker.  It 
is  easy  to  assert,  as  such  writers  do,  that  no  two  indi- 


OF  THE   IIOLY   SCRIPTURES.  167 

viduals  attach  precisely  the  same  meaning  to  the  same 
words ;  but  the  assertion  is  a  baseless  assumption  if 
made  with  any  reference  to  individuals  who  have 
equally  accurate  knowledge  of  the  meaning  of  words, 
and  are  at  the  same  time  equally  honest.  If  they  think 
the  same  thoughts,  it  is  impossible  that  they  should 
think  them  otherwise  than  in  words  understood  accord- 
ing to  their  knowledge  of  their  meaning.  With  re- 
spect to  various  classes  of  words — as  proper  names, 
numbers,  proportions,  qualities — they  necessarily  repre- 
sent the  same  thoughts  invariably  to  different  indivi- 
duals ;  but  as  representatives  of  thought  those  classes 
of  words  owe  their  established  and  uniform  signifi- 
cance to  the  same  reason  as  all  other  words ;  the  reason, 
namely,  that  they  are  employed,  taught,  spoken,  and 
written,  as  the  representatives  of  particular  thoughts. 

All  thoughts  of  which  we  have  any  consciousness 
or  any  knowledge  whatever,  are  signified,  expressed, 
represented,  by  words.  Thinking,  reasoning,  reflect- 
ing, inventing,  associating,  remembering,  every  exer- 
cise of  the  intellect,  presupposes  language.  An  exer- 
cise of  the  intellect  apart  from  language,  can  no  more 
be  conceived  of,  than  arithmetic  can  be  conceived  of 
without  numbers,  or  a  substance  without  qualities,  joy 
without  emotion,  colors  without  sight,  hearing  without 
sound. 

It  is  evil  communications  that  corrupt  good  manners. 
It  is  because  they  convey  false,  corrupt,  debasing,  de- 
moralizing, impious,  blasphemous  thoughts,  that  cor- 
rupt, seductive,  immoral,  impious  books,  are  injurious 
and  destructive.  If  they  did  not  actually  convey  the 
thoughts,   in    the  words  which   constitute   them,   the 


168  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

words  would  signify  nothing.  If  the  words  as  read 
and  heard  did  not  express  the  thoughts  to  the  reader 
and  hearer,  they  would  express  no  meaning  and  could 
exert  no  influence.  They  would  have  no  tendency  or 
adaptation  to  excite  or  give  rise  to  particular  evil 
thoughts,  or  to  any  thoughts,  good  or  bad,  and  would 
be  used  without  purpose  or  effect.  "Were  they  not  as 
truly  the  medium  and  vehicle  by  which  the  thoughts 
of  one  mind  are  transferred  to  another,  as  air  is  the 
medium  and  vehicle  of  sound,  it  would  be  as  futile  to 
employ  them,  as  to  attempt  to  produce  sounds  in  a 
vacuum.  The  arrangement  and  combination  of  letters 
which  constitute  written  words,  constitute  what  is  de- 
signated by  that  term,  simply  because  that  arrangement 
and  combination  signifies  and  expresses  particular 
thoughts.  What  we  call  words,  are  such  in  no  other 
sense,  and  to  no  other  effect,  than  as  they  are  used,  ar- 
ticulated and  written  to  signify,  express,  and  convey 
particular  thoughts. 

It  is  wholly  owing  to  false  theories  of  the  origin, 
nature,  and  use  of  language,  that  speculative  men, 
philologists,  and  philosophers,  treat  of  it  as  inherently 
and  necessarily  imperfect,  ambiguous,  and  deceptive. 
As  the  vehicle  of  thought,  words  are  in  fact  and  neces- 
sarily as  perfect  as  the  conceptions  of  thought  are,  or 
as  the  thoughts  conceived  are.  For  all  that  is  conceived 
as  thought,  is  conceived  in  words  as  its  embodiment 
and  vehicle.  All  that  we  are  conscious  of  as  thought, 
we  are  conscious  of  in  the  words  in  which  it  is  con- 
ceived. Thoughts  and  words  are  correlates.  Words 
are  the  moulds  of  thoughts.  All  that  is  remembered  of 
thoughts  is  remembered  in  words.     All  that  is  or  can 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  169 

be  expressed  of  thoughts  is  expressed  in  articulate  words 
or  equivalent  signs. 

As  the  instrument  of  thinking  and  of  expressing 
thoughts  to  others,  words  are  as  perfectly  adapted,  as 
adequate,  and  as  reliable,  as  the  faculty  of  thinking  is. 
We  neither  know  nor  are  conscious  of  any  thing,  that 
we  have  not  words  to  express  as  clearly  and  definitely 
as  we  know  or  are  conscious  of  it.  It  is  not  the  fault 
of  language  that  men  are  ignorant  of  it,  or  that  they 
corrupt,  pervert,  or  abuse  it.  It  is  not  any  inherent 
or  necessary  imperfection  of  words  that  deceives  men, 
leads  them  to  adopt  false  principles,  or  excites  their 
prejudice  or  their  passions. 

Language  is  what  the  Creator  of  men  has  provided 
for  them  as  the  medium  and  instrument  of  thought — 
the  medium  through  which  He  communicates  His 
thoughts  to  them,  and  they  their  thoughts  to  Him  and 
to  one  another.  As  intellectual,  moral,  and  social 
beings,  it  is  as  necessary,  as  adequate,  and  as  reliable 
as  any  of  their  natural  faculties,  sensational  or  rational, 
physical  or  mental.  To  suppose  the  contrary,  consid- 
ering the  peculiar  functions  and  purposes  of  this  instru- 
ment, would  be  to  impeach  the  wisdom  and  goodness 
of  the  Creator,  and  to  assume  that  man  neither  has, 
nor  can  have,  any  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  life,  or 
any  indubitable  certainty  either  as  to  his  own  thoughts, 
or  as  to  the  thoughts  of  his  fellow-creatures. 


170  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 


CHAPTER    IX. 

NATURE   AND   OFFICE   OF  TYPES. 

It  is  because  the  words  of  Scripture  have  not  been 
taken  to  signify  simply  and  exactly  the  thoughts  which 
they  express  in  the  connections  in  which  they  are  em- 
ployed, that  fanciful  and  preposterous  theories  and 
systems  of  figurative,  typical,  and  symbolic  construc- 
tion, have  been  predicated  on  them.  Thus,  whatever 
in  the  historical  or  prophetical  records  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament presents  any  points  of  real  or  seeming  analogy 
with  any  thing  under  the  Christian  dispensation,  is  as- 
sumed by  many  to  be  typical  of  such  analogous  things. 
And  to  meet  the  very  formidable  absurdity  of  suppos- 
ing that  the  words  of  the  original  record  conveyed  no 
intelligible  meaning,  till  the  appearance,  ages  after,  of 
the  things  typified,  this  class  of  interpreters  ascribe  to 
the  words  a  double  sense ;  one,  that  of  the  same  words 
in  their  ordinary  acceptation,  the  other  a  tropical  or 
spiritual  sense,  according  to  which  they  may  signify- 
any  thing  that  can  be  imagined. 

Thus,  on  the  ground  that  some  of  the  official  per 
sons,  and  their  acts,  and  the  objects  and  effects  of  them, 
as  described  in  the  Old  Testament,  were  typical  of  re- 
sembling persons,  acts,  and  effects  in  the  New,  it  is 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  171 

gratuitously  assumed  that  every  thing  set  forth  in  the 
one,  whether  ritual,  ceremonial,  historical,  or  predictive, 
typified  something  analogous  in  the  other.  This  may 
be  one  degree  short  of  the  system  which  regards  all 
the  phenomena  of  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants,  as  ex- 
act copies  of  corresponding  things  in  the  heavens  ;  but 
it  involves  the  supposition  that  the  words  of  Scripture 
have  one  superficial,  earth-born,  vulgar  meaning  ac- 
cording to  the  letter,  and  beneath  that,  a  deep,  occult, 
spiritual  meaning. 

Now  it  is  the  nature  and  office  of  a  type,  visibly  to 
foreshadow  something  resembling  itself  in  nature  and 
sphere,  and  either  as  a  whole,  or  in  some  particular 
and  important  respect.  The  types  of  the  Old  Testament 
briefly  expressed  in  a  visible  and  impressive  manner, 
what  it  would  have  required  many  words  to  express 
with  equal  effect.  Like  symbols,  they  were  employed 
on  the  principles  of  analogy,  and  as  substitutes  for 
words ;  but  they  were  not  prophetic  like  symbols. 
Being  illustrative  personations,  acts,  and  rites  substi- 
tuted for  words,  it  was  essential  to  their  use  as  types, 
that  the  things  signified  should  be  known  and  under- 
stood beforehand.  Otherwise  they  would  be  the  me- 
dium or  representative  of  no  intelligence,  and  could 
not  serve  as  substitutes  for  words,  any  more  than  a 
picture  could  represent  as  real  an  object  which  did  not 
exist.  They  were  accordingly  used  as  types,  not  on 
account  of  any  thing  inherent  in  them,  but  solely  by 
the  Divine  appointment ;  and  were  connected  with  the 
tabernacle  and  its  ritual  and  services,  which  were  in  all 
respects  of  special  Divine  institution.  It  was  their  ob- 
ject by  visible  exhibition  and  action,  to  impress  upon 


172  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

the  worshippers  the  most  important  truths  of  their  reli- 
gion, and  to  excite  the  exercise  of  their  faith  in  them ; 
truths  which  had  been  revealed,  and  were  understood 
by  the  people.  Thus,  that  Christ  would  appear  in 
human  nature,  execute  the  office  of  a  Priest,  offer  Him- 
self a  sacrifice  for  sin  by  the  shedding  of  His  own 
blood,  and  fulfill  all  that  belonged  to  His  office,  had 
been  revealed,  and  was  understood  ;  and  obviously,  it 
was  just  as  necessary  that  those  truths  should  be  cor- 
rectly understood  beforehand,  in  order  to  their  being 
represented  by  types  in  a  manner  intelligible  to  the 
worshippers,  as  in  order  to  their  being  intelligibly  and 
correctly  expressed  in  words,  and  just  as  necessary  that 
the  official  agency  of  the  Jewish  high  priest,  and  every 
thing  that  had  a  typical  reference,  should  be  consti- 
tuted a  type  by  Divine  appointment,  in  order  to  their 
correctly  representing  those  truths,  as  that  the  truths 
themselves  should  be  originally  inspired.  The  appoint- 
ment of  certain  persons,  acts,  and  things,  to  typify  cer- 
tain specific  acts  and  things  which  had  been  revealed, 
and  on  which  the  faith  of  the  worshippers  rested,  was 
a  mode  of  expressing  revealed  truths  equivalent  to  an 
expression  of  them  in  words.  For  men,  therefore,  to 
treat  as  typical,  any  thing  which  had  not  that  office  by 
Divine  appointment,  would  be  an  error  like  that  of 
substituting  words  of  their  own  choosing,  in  place  of 
the  original  words  of  inspiration. 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  173 


CHAPTER    X. 

THOUGHTS  REMEMBERED  ONLY  IN"  WORDS. 

It  is  the  office  of  memory,  to  renew  our  former 
thoughts,  by  recalling  the  words  in  which  we  con- 
ceived and  expressed  them.  We  remember  them  only 
as  we  remember  the  words.  We  can  no  more  remem- 
ber than  we  can  originally  be  conscious  of  them,  apart 
from  the  words.  Such  is  our  experience,  not  only 
when  in  health,  but  when  affected  by  diseases  which 
intensify  the  power  of  recollection,  or  by  which  it  is 
wholly  or  partially  suspended.  A  case  is  known,  for 
example,  of  a  literary  man,  who,  by  the  effect  of  dis- 
ease, lost  all  recollection  of  what  he  had  learned.  By 
degrees  he  regained  the  names  of  the  familiar  objects 
of  sense,  as  they  are  learned  by  a  child.  As  he  reco- 
vered his  health,  he  learned  the  alphabet  anew,  and 
applied  himself  to  the  study  of  syllables  and  words, 
when  suddenly  all  that  he  had  formerly  learnt  in  seve- 
ral languages,  was  instantly  restored  to  him,  so  that 
he  could  speak,  read,  and  write  all  the  words  previ- 
ously within  his  knowledge.  In  another  instance,  the 
power  of  recollection  was  so  enlarged  that  the  thoughts 
and  words  relating  to  the  experience  of  a  life  of  many 
years,  were  rendered  consciously  present  in  a  moment 
of  time. 


174  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

Every  one  knows  that,  when  relating  a  story,  re- 
peating what  he  has  heard  or  read,  or  stating  a  propo- 
sition, if  he  has  forgotten  some  words — names  of  per- 
sons, or  places,  numbers,  technical  or  qualifying  terms — 
he  is  at  a  stand  ;  he  can  not  recall  the  thoughts  with- 
out the  lost  words,  and  wanting  them,  his  whole  narra- 
tive, recital,  or  statement,  may  be  rendered  senseless, 
or  false.  He  can  not  substitute  another  name  for  that 
of  the  hero  or  agent  to  whom  his  narrative  relates. 
Another  name  would  not  express  the  thoughts  of  the 
forgotten  original,  and  would  not  identify  the  person. 
On  the  contrary,  it  would  be  a  fiction,  a  deception,  or 
a  falsehood.  Even  if  he  remembered  some  of  the  at- 
tributes of  the  man  in  question,  they  would  not  iden- 
tify him.  They  would  be  such  as  belong  to  other  men ; 
whereas  the  name  distinguishes  him  as  an  individual. 

The  necessary  conditions  of  thinking  are,  under- 
standing, will,  language,  and  consciousness.  Its  aux- 
iliaries are,  external  objects,  organs  of  perception,  vo- 
cal sounds,  written  words,  and  internal  sensations,  emo- 
tions, feelings,  memory.  Thinking  itself,  is  the  exer- 
cise of  the  understanding  under  the  influence  of  the 
will,  through  the  instrumentality  of  words,  and  with 
the  cognizance  of  consciousness.  Just  in  proportion, 
therefore,  as  any  man  is  endowed  with  those  condi- 
tions, and  supplied  with  those  auxiliaries,  he  is  capaci- 
tated to  think,  and  to  express  his  thoughts  intelligibly 
and  perfectly  to  others.  But  the  cogitative  exercise  of 
the  understanding  takes  place  only  in  accordance  with 
our  intellectual  constitution  and  physical  organization, 
and  with  the  laws  of  the  understanding  and  of  lan- 
guage.    That  exercise,  at  first,  and  at  every  stage  of 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  175 

progress,  is  subject  to  those  laws.  In  children,  the 
conditions  are  but  incipient.  By  experience  of  the 
external  and  internal  auxiliaries,  and  by  acquiring  a 
knowledge  of  words,  the  understanding  and  the  power 
of  thinking  are  gradually,  and  may  be  indefinitely  en- 
larged. Without  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  word-  as 
instruments  of  thought  and  speech,  the  man  would 
not  emerge  from  the  state  of  infancy.  His  constitu- 
tion and  organization  as  a  cogitative  being,  would  be 
as  truly  in  vain,  if  he  lacked  a  knowledge  of  words,  as 
if  he  lacked  understanding.  Doubtless  Adam  could 
not  have  acquired  a  knowledge  of  words  in  the  same 
way  that  his  descendants  do.  Bat  his  existence  did 
not,  like  theirs,  commence  with  infancy,  and  being  in 
all  other  respects  a  mature  man,  and  needing  immedi- 
ately the  language  of  that  state,  it  is  safe  to  conclude 
that  lie  "  who  made  man's  mouth  " — speech,  organ  of 
speech — imparted  to  him  at  once  the  requisite  know- 
ledge of  words,  as  to  those  at  a  later  period  who  had 
the  gift  of  tongues  and  of  the  interpretation  of  them ; 
and  was  "  with  his  mouth,  and  taught  him  what  to 
say,"  as  He  did  to  Moses. 

It  is  owing  to  the  organic  structure  of  language,  the 
vocal  sounds,  the  syllables,  the  words,  their  distinctions 
and  relations  in  the  parts  of  speech,  and  to  the  relation  of 
thoughts  to  words  as  their  instruments,  that  our  thoughts 
are  conceived,  remembered,  and  expressed,  in  an  order- 
ly and  intelligible  succession.  The  intellect  and  the 
instrument,  the  mental  power  and  the  machinery,  are 
adapted  to  each  other,  and  made  to  work  together. 
But  the  machinery  can  work  only  according  to  its  or- 
ganization, and  to  that,  therefore,  the  cogitative  action 


176  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

of  the  intellect  is  conformed.  We  not  only  think  in 
words,  but  we  think  successively,  according  to  the  or- 
ganic demands  of  oral  and  written  language,  which 
are  fixed  and  uniform  :  and  but  for  this  organic  instru- 
mentality, for  aught  that  is  or  can  be  known  to  us,  our 
thoughts,  instead  of  an  orderly  and  intelligible  succes- 
sion, would,  though  conceived  in  words,  be  a  mere 
chaos  of  successive  sounds. 

To  this  organic  instrumentality,  in  its  relation  to  me- 
mory, is  to  be  referred  the  exercise  of  the  intellectual 
power  of  associating  thoughts  which  in  some  respect 
resemble  or  are  analogous  to  each  other.  The  con- 
sciousness of  our  present  thoughts  in  the  words  by 
which  we  are  rendered  conscious  of  them  prompts  the 
recollection  of  resembling  and  analogous  thoughts  and 
words.  The  thoughts  so  recalled  and  associated,  and 
which  are  commonly  regarded  as  the  product  of  a  dis- 
tinct suggestive  faculty,  are  those  of  similitude,  contrast, 
or  correlation,  and  contiguity  with  respect  to  time  and 
place.  On  the  view  above  given  of  the  office  of  words 
and  of  the  memory  of  thoughts  in  words,  they  require, 
when  they  involve  similitudes,  no  distinct  faculty,  any 
more  than  the  present  consciousness  and  recollection  of 
any  thoughts  in  the  orderly  succession  of  the  words 
which  represent  them. 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  177 


CHAPTER    XI. 

THE  FIGURATIVE   USE   OF  WORDS. 

The  figurative  use  of  words,  is  the  result  of  our 
organic  mode  of  conceiving  thoughts  in  words.  Our 
words,  for  the  most  part,  are  primarily  those  which 
were  earliest  required  and  employed  to  signify  our 
thoughts  of  things  within  the  observation  of  our  senses. 
But  we  naturally  and  easily  appropriate  them  to  ex- 
press whatever  thoughts  we  intellectually  conceive  of 
things  of  other  kinds  which  have  in  some  respect  a 
real  or  an  apparent  resemblance.  Such  secondary 
analogical  appropriations,  are  termed  figurative,  and 
are  rendered  obvious  by  the  connections  in  which  they 
occur.  Thus  we  say  of  a  bird  on  the  wing,  that  it 
flies.  Its  progress,  and  the  operation  of  its  wings,  we 
perceive  by  our  sense  of  sight.  Our  thought  of  its 
movement,  we  express  by  the  word  flies.  The  resem- 
blance between  that  movement,  and  that  of  a  ship  un- 
der sail,  and  that  of  a  cloud  impelled  by  the  wind,  is 
such,  that  we  intelligibly  and  forcibly  express  our 
thought  of  the  movements  of  the  ship  and  the  cloud, 
by  saying,  (lie  ship  flies,  and  the  cloud  flies.  Such  second- 
ary and  figurative  use  of  words  is  as  much  a  result  of 
our  intellectual  and  physical  constitution,  or  to  speak 

8* 


178  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

more  after  tlie  fashion  of  the  day,  as  much  the  result 
of  a  law,  as  is  our  discernment  of  resemblances  in  cer- 
tain particulars,  between  things  which  in  other  respects 
are  wholly  dissimilar ;  or  as  that  our  modes  of  sensa- 
tional perception,  are  different  from  our  modes  of  intel- 
lectually conceiving  things  which  are  not  objects  of 
sensation.  Analogies  and  resemblances  are  as  safe  and 
as  competent  grounds  for  the  secondary  and  figurative 
use  of  words,  as  the  information  of  the  senses  is  for  the 
primary  and  literal  signification  and  use  of  the  same 
words.  The  figurative  use  of  words,  therefore,  is  no 
more  the  offspring  of  conventional  agreement,  or  human 
fancy  or  contrivance,  than  is  their  primary  and  literal 
use.  Nor  is  the  use  and  meaning  in  the  one  case  any 
less  intelligible  than  in  the  other.  Accordingly  the 
languages  of  different  nations  in  proportion  to  their 
verbal  affluence,  are  as  much  alike  in  respect  to  the 
figurative  use  of  words,  as  the  different  peoples  are  in 
respect  to  their  thoughts  of  the  objects  of  sense,  and  the 
resemblances  and  differences  of  things. 

Words  being  the  intellectual  medium,  and,  when 
articulated,  the  vocal  expression  of  thought,  are  used 
according  to  their  organic  succession  as  instruments, 
and  according  to  the  references  of  the  thoughts  which 
they  signify  to  the  natures,  qualities,  and  conditions  of 
the  things  to  which  they  relate.  Their  organic  succes- 
sion is  realized  in  the  orderly  collocation  of  the  sylla- 
bles and  words  of  sentences,  as  their  references  are  dis- 
criminated by  the  parts  of  speech.  Accordingly  all 
languages  have  not  only  the  same  parts  of  speech,  but 
essentially  the  same  grammatical  declensions,  modes, 
and  tenses,  so  that  all  the  modifications  of  thought,  cor-- 


OF  THE  HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  179 

responding  to  the  diverse  natures,  qualities,  and  condi- 
tions of  the  things  we  perceive  by  our  senses,  and 
those  which  we  intellectually  conceive,  are  expressed 
by  deflections  from  the  primary  signification  and  refer- 
ence of  our  words,  and  by  moods,  tenses,  etc.,  to  a  se- 
condary and  figurative  signification.  This  orderly  pro- 
cess is  uniform  and  universal,  in  all  languages,  whether 
vocal  only,  or  both  vocal  and  written ;  and  for  the 
reason,  that  by  the  constitution  of  man,  he  thinks  in 
words,  and  words  which  express  his  thoughts  as  per- 
fectly as  he  conceives  them ;  and,  therefore,  whatever 
may  be  his  native  tongue,  his  words  correspond  to  his 
deflected  and  modified  thoughts. 

Such  being  the  law  of  the  intellect  in  thinking,  of 
our  vocal  organs  in  articulating,  and  of  the  auditory 
organs  in  hearing,  according  to  which  we  think  in 
words  which  are  perfect  moulds  and  expressions  of  our 
thoughts,  we  of  course  think  in  words  corresponding 
as  perfectly  to  any  one  class  of  our  thoughts  as  to  any 
other ;  to  our  thoughts  of  simple  entities,  properties, 
qualities,  affirmations,  negations,  acts,  conditions,  and 
to  their  comparative  resemblances  and  shades  of  differ- 
ence. Hence  the  figurative  appropriation  and  use  of 
words  to  represent  by  resemblance  something  else  than 
that  which  they  primarily  and  literally  signify.  This 
use  of  words  is  as  easily  learnt  by  children  as  the  pri- 
mary or  literal  meaning  is,  and  is  as  necessarily  a  part  of 
the  first  lessons  taught  them  in  speaking  and  reading. 
It  is  a  perfection  of  language,  resulting  from  the  action 
of  the  intellect,  and  the  vocal  organs,  under  the  control 
of  the  will,  and  from  the  mechanical  perceptions  and 
discriminations  of  the  organs  of  sense.     It  is  a  perfect 


180  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

tion  by  which  the  same  words,  the  same  articulate 
sounds,  are  made  to  express  the  different  shades  of 
thought  in  differing  relations ;  and  thereby  supersedes 
the  necessity  of  innumerable  other  words  and  circum- 
locutions which  would  otherwise  be  indispensable. 
The  figurative  use  of  words  is  not  only  common  to  all 
languages,  but  it  largely  pervades  and  characterizes 
them  all,  and  as  well  with  reference  to  secular  as  to 
sacred  subjects  ;  and  for  the  reason  that  to  the  same  ex- 
tent the  thoughts  which  are  conceived  and  expressed 
in  words,  by  the  people  of  different  countries,  are 
thoughts  of  the  same  resemblances,  analogies,  compar- 
isons, substitutions,  and  allegorical  representations. 

It  is  therefore  apparent  why,  conformably  to  the 
intellectual  and  physical  constitution,  organization, 
capacities,  and  wants  of  man,  words  should  be  in- 
spired into  the  minds  of  the  sacred  writers  as  they  are 
used  literally  or  figuratively,  in  ordinary  speech  and 
writing.  There  was  the  same  reason  for  this  as  for 
inspiring  the  different  kinds  of  words  which  belong  to 
the  different  parts  of  speech,  words  in  their  inflected 
forms,  and  root  words  and  their  derivatives.  The 
thoughts  to  be  expressed  could  neither  be  conceived 
nor  inspired,  in  any  other  way,  any  more  than  the 
same  or  other  thoughts  can  now  be  otherwise  conceived 
and  expressed  by  uninspired  men.  The  different  parts 
of  speech,  and  the  different  kinds,  forms,  and  inflec- 
tions of  words,  no  more  depend  on  the  will  or  con- 
trivance of  man,  than  the  different  articulate  sounds  of 
which  the  vocal  organs  are  capable,  or  the  nature  and 
variety  of  thoughts  of  which  the  intellect  is  capable. 
The  words  and  thoughts  are  coeval  and  coincident ; 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  181 

spoken  words  are  audible  thoughts.  "We  are  so  con- 
stituted, that  it  is  impossible  to  convey  thoughts  from 
one  mind  to  another,  except  by  words,  and  signs  equi- 
valent to  articulate  vocal  sounds.  And,  therefore, 
whatever  thoughts  were  conveyed  by  inspiration  so  as 
to  be  received  and  understood  by  men,  were  of  neces- 
sity conveyed  in  words  as  they  are  literally  or  figur- 
atively used  in  ordinary  speech  and  writing. 

Language  consists  mainly  of  three  classes  of  words — 
nouns,  adjectives,  and  verbs,  which  follow  each  other 
in  the  order  of  our  experience  of  sensational  and  intel- 
lectual observation  and  thought.  The  child  first  sees 
external  objects,  and  hears  and  remembers  their  names. 
When  they  are  out  of  sight  he  thinks  of  them  in  the 
words  which  are  their  names.  Next  he  observes  their 
qualities,  and  learns  the  qualifying  words — adjectives — 
which  express,  discriminate,  and  limit  them.  Then  he 
observes  their  actions,  and  learns  their  names — verbs — 
and  their  various  applications  with  respect  to  time  and 
other  relations.  The  primary  use  of  these  several 
classes  of  words  in  their  direct  application  or  reference, 
is  denominated  their  literal  use.  In  their  earliest  form 
they  are  significantly  described  as  root  words ;  which 
like  the  roots  of  a  tree  are  prolific  of  offshoots,  deriva- 
tives, formed  by  changes  of  termination,  and  by  prefix- 
ing or  suffixing  letters  or  syllables.  In  the  English 
and  other  languages  of  equal  copiousness,  the  deriva- 
tives are  many  times  as  numerous  as  the  roots. 

The  differences  between  nouns,  adjectives,  and  verbs 
are  founded  not  in  any  thing  in  the  words  themselves, 
but  in  the  differences  between  the  thoughts  which  they 
represent;  and  the  figurative  use  of  them  is  founded, 


182  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

not  in  any  respect  in  the  words  nor  in  the  subjects  to 
which  they  relate,  but  in  the  resemblances  between  dif- 
ferent thoughts,  or  thoughts  of  different  subjects,  acts, 
events,  conditions,  etc.  When  we  say  a  bird  flies, 
we  use  the  verb  in  its  primary  and  literal  sense. 
When  we  say  a  ship  flies,  we  use  the  verb  in  a 
secondary,  deflected,  or  figured  sense.  There  is  a 
resemblance  between  the  thought  of  motion  in  the 
one  case  and  in  the  other.  But  it  is  not  natural  to 
a  ship  to  fly,  and  to  say  that  it  flies  is  to  say  that  its 
motion  resembles  that  of  a  bird  on  the  wing.  When 
a  word  is  used  figuratively,  it  is  used  to  repre- 
sent a  resemblance.  A  figure  in  rhetoric  is  a  use  of 
words  in  which  their  ordinary  signification  is  deflected 
to  express  a  resemblance.  When  we  think  of  the  mo- 
tion of  a  bird  flying  in  the  air,  we  are  conscious  that 
its  movement  is  real  and  natural,  and  we  express  our 
thoughts  literally  and  exactly,  by  saying  that  it  flies. 
When  we  think  of  the  motion  of  a  ship  under  sail,  we 
are  conscious  that  its  movement  is  real  and  appropriate 
to  the  nature  of  the  ship  and  the  element  on  which  it 
floats,  and  we  express  our  thoughts  literally  and  exact- 
ly by  saying,  that  it  sails.  But  there  is  a  resemblance 
between  the  motion  of  the  ship  and  that  of  the  bird. 
And  to  express  our  thought  of  the  ship's  motion  in  a 
gale  more  forcibly  than  we  can  by  the  ordinary  literal 
term,  sails,  we  transfer  our  thought  of  the  bird's  mo- 
tion, and  say  the  ship  flies. 

These  observations  apply  substantially  to  all  the 
other  figures  of  speech,  as  well  as  to  the  metaphor  in 
the  foregoing  instance:  to  the  comparison  which  merely 
affirms  the  likeness  of  one  thing  to  another:  to  the 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  183 

metononry  which,  applies  the  proper  name  of  one  thing 
to  another  which  is  in  some  respect  similar  or  intimate- 
ly connected  ;  to  the  synecdoche,  which  -applies  the 
designation  of  part  of  a  thing  to  the  whole,  or  the 
name  of  the  whole  to  a  part,  and  so  of  the  rest.  They 
are  all  founded  in  resemblance  in  some  particular  or 
degree.  The  resemblances  exist  independently  of 
words.  They  are  subjects  of  thought ;  and  the  man- 
ner of  expressing  our  thoughts  of  them,  by  the  de- 
flected or  figurative  use  of  words  primarily  and  liter- 
ally used  to  express  our  thoughts  of  analogous  or  re- 
sembling things,  involves  no  necessary  confusion  or 
difficulty. 

The  imagination,  the  compound  faculty  of  thinking 
and  feeling,  the  intellectual  and  emotional  powers  con- 
jointly exercised,  may  disport  itself  poetically  with  the 
resemblances  in  question,  and  with  the  figurative  appro- 
priation and  use  of  words.  But  so  long  as  it  does  not 
violate  its  own  legitimate  office,  it  will  only  render 
more  intelligible  and  impressive,  as  well  as  more  ornate 
and  elegant,  the  thoughts  expressed  both  in  its  literal 
and  its  figurative  use  of  words. 

In  reference  to  the  main  subject  of  inquiry,  it  is  ap- 
parent from  these  observations,  that  the  inspiration  into 
the  minds  of  the  sacred  penmen,  of  words  as  they  are 
figuratively  used,  is  as  necessary  to  convey  the  thoughts 
which  they  signify  when  so  employed,  and  for  the  con- 
veyance of  which  no  other  device  has  been  discovered 
or  can  be  conceived,  as  the  inspiration  of  the  same  or 
other  words  to  signify  the  simplest  and  most  literal 
thoughts.  Our  intellectual,  sensational,  and  voeal 
faculties  are  adapted  to  it.     Our  constitution,  and  the 


184  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

nature  and  office  of  thoughts  and  -words,  equally  de- 
mand it ;  since  we  have  figurative  as  well  as  literal 
thoughts  which  are  intimately  connected  and  blended 
with  each  other.  And  beyond  a  question,  if  either 
class  of  thoughts  or  of  words  to  represent  and  express 
them,  were  to  be  left  to  man's  contrivance  and  selec- 
tion, it  would  be  the  literal  and  not  the  figurative. 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  185 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FALSE  THEORY  CONCERNING  LANGUAGE,  TOAT  WORDS 
REPRESENT  THINGS  INSTEAD  OF  THOUGHTS — PRIMA- 
RY BELIEFS — CONSCIOUSNESS. 

A  principal  fallacy  which  prevails  concerning  lan- 
guage, consists  in  supposing  it  to  be  the  office  of  words 
to  signify  and  represent  things,  instead  of  regarding  it 
as  their  sole  office  to  signify  and  represent  thoughts. 
This  erroneous  supposition  resulted  very  naturally  from 
the  prevalent  theory  concerning  the  origin  of  language 
as  heretofore  alluded  to.  On  the  assumptions,  that 
man  was  at  his  creation  as  an  infant;  that  the  race  con- 
tinued in  a  state  of  barbarism  till  necessity  compelled 
them  to  invent  words  whereby  to  signify  their  wants 
and  wishes  to  each  other ;  that  the  nature  of  their 
wants  while  in  a  state  of  barbarism,  prompted  them 
only  to  invent  names  for  those  things  which  were  im- 
mediate objects  of  their  senses ;  that  those  names 
turned  out  to  be  root  words,  from  which  all  the  other 
words  of  their  language  were  derived  ;  that  the  signi- 
ficance of  the  derivations  was  to  be  determined  by 
ascertaining  the  significance  of  the  root  words ;  and 
that  each  tribe  and  nation  invented  a  language  for 
itself,  and  slowly  emerged  from  mute  and  helpless  ignor- 


186  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

ance,  some  to  the  intelligence  of  picture  writing,  some 
to  the  dignity  of  unsyllabie  marks,  and  some  to  the 
mysteries  of  hieroglyphs:  on  these  assumptions  it 
would  be  natural  to  infer  that  the  root  words,  and  by 
consequence  and  etymology  that  all  words  were  merely 
signs  of  things.  But  every  one  of  these  assumptions 
is  as  palpably  inconsistent  with  the  nature  and  destiny 
of  man  as  a  thinking,  voluntary,  and  accountable 
agent,  as  with  the  inspired  words  of  God  which  inform 
us  of  man's  creation,  and  of  his  primitive  character 
and  relations,  and  his  acts  and  their  issues. 

The  meanings  affixed  to  words  are  the  thoughts 
which  the  words  are  employed  to  express,  and  which 
we  are  conscious  of  and  articulate,  as  representing  the 
thoughts.  Beyond  that,  words  have  in  no  degree  a 
representative  character.  To  suppose  them  to  stand 
for  things  instead  of  thoughts,  would  be  to  exclude 
the  thoughts  which  it  is  their  nature  and  office  to  ex- 
press. To  constitute  one  thing  the  natural  or  constant 
sign  or  representative  of  another,  there  must  be  some 
correlative  relation  or  connection.  But  no  such  rela- 
tion in  nature  or  by  necessity  exists  between  tilings 
and  words.  Things  exist  wholly  independent  of 
words.  All  things  that  are  discoverable  by  our  senses 
are  discoverable  without  the  aid  of  words.  But  when 
discovered,  we  can  think  of  them  only  in  words,  by 
which,  silently  to  our  consciousness  and  audibly  by 
vocal  articulation,  the  words  represent  our  thoughts  as 
by  a  constitutional  and  uniform  relation,  and  necessary 
connection.  Accordingly,  when  the  words  are  spoken 
or  written,  they  signify  the  same  thoughts  to  others  as 
to  ourselves. 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  187 

The  only  color  of  plausibility  apparent  in  the  theory 
in  question  arises  from  the  circumstance  that  the  first 
words  which  children  require  and  learn,  are  the  names 
of  those  physical  things  which  are  the  immediate  ob- 
jects of  their  senses.  But  it  does  not  follow  that 
because  those  words  are  the  names  of  things,  therefore 
it  is  their  object  to  represent  the  things  instead  of  the 
thoughts  of  the  learner  concerning  them.  They  per- 
fectly represent  the  thoughts,  but  they  have  no  resem- 
blance whatever  to  the  things.  They  can  be  learned, 
and  for  the  most  part,  as  the  child  advances,  are  learned 
without  his  seeing  or  otherwise  sensibly  perceiving  the 
things  of  which  they  are  the  names.  As  his  thoughts 
multiply  he  learns  new  words,  and  as  his  stock  of 
words  is  augmented  his  thoughts  increase.  Were  his 
acquisition  of  words  limited  to  the  things  perceived  by 
his  senses,  he  would  never  be  able  to  speak  or  read  a 
grammatical  sentence.  The  very  names  of  his  senses, 
his  affections,  and  emotions,  and  the  qualities,  peculiar- 
ities, conditions,  relations,  causes,  uses,  and  effects  of 
every  thing  external  not  within  the  observation  of  his 
senses,  and  every  thing  intellectual,  moral,  and  spirit- 
ual would  be  entirely  hidden  from  him,  or  be  so  dimly 
and  confusedly  indicated  by  uncertain  prototypes  ;uid 
analogies  as  to  confound  his  efforts.  To  imagine  him 
to  invent  words  even  for  the  most  familiar  physical 
things  before  he  had  thoughts  of  them,  would  be  ab- 
surd ;  and  if  he  had  thoughts  to  be  expressed  when  ho 
invented  them,  they  would,  of  course,  represent  the 
thoughts  by  which  they  were  prompted  rather  than 
the  things  to  which  the  thoughts  referred.  But  were 
it  granted  that  some  words  stood  for  things,  it  is  clear 


188  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

that  no  variety  of  things  or  sensations  could  ever  sug- 
gest or  occasion  the  variety  of  words  and  the  variety 
of  their  forms  as  parts  of  speech,  and  their  declensions, 
moods,  and  tenses,  which  are  required  by  connected 
thought,  and  grammatical  expression.  This  orderly 
variety  presupposes  intellectual  and  organic  laws  as 
governing  the  formation  of  words,  and  undoubtedly  it 
is  in  order  to  the  perfect  conception  and  expression  of 
every  variety  and  modification  of  thought,  that  the 
vocal  organs  under  the  influence  of  the  understanding 
and  the  will,  express  the  articulations,  intonations,  and 
inflections  which  constitute  and  discriminate  the  entire 
variety  of  words  in  each  particular  language.  The 
process  implies  foresight,  intention,  and  organic  action. 
The  writers  who  regard  words  as  signs  of  things,  lose 
themselves  in  a  labyrinth  of  factitious  terms  and  dis- 
tinctions. They  begin  by  treating  words  as  primarily 
mere  sounds,  like  those  naturally  made  by  animals 
which  have  no  verbal  or  acquired  significance.  But 
words  are  no  further  like  those  natural  sounds,  than 
they  are  like  whistling  and  coughing.  On  the  contrary, 
words  are  articulate  sounds,  of  which  animals  are  inca- 
pable ;  sounds  of  which  the  articulation  is  the  effect, 
conjointly,  of  the  intellect,  the  will,  and  the  vocal  or- 
gans, exerted  purposely  to  express  the  thoughts  which 
it  is  their  office  respectively  to  embody  and  convey. 
They  involve  intelligence,  discrimination,  and  design, 
and  have  a  particular  significance  to  the  consciousness 
of  the  utterer,  before  he  articulates  them.  He  utters 
them  to  express  not  mere  sounds,  but  to  express  the 
thoughts  previously  couched  in  them  in  his  mind.  To 
say  that  they  owe  their  signification  to  conventional 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  189 

agreement  is  nonsense,  if  any  thing  more  is  meant  by 
that  than  that  those  who  use  the  same  words  use  them 
at  different  times  to  express  the  same  thoughts,  for  the 
reason  that  they  have  the  same  thoughts  to  express, 
and  not  for  the  reason  that  any  convention  of  men  ever 
agreed  upon  a  meaning  to  be  affixed  to  unmeaning 
sounds.  The  articulation  of  words  preceded  the  possi- 
bility of  any  such  convention.  Children  learn  to  arti- 
culate and  to  express  their  thoughts  in  words,  by  hear- 
ing others  articulate,  and  learning  from  them  the  mean- 
ing of  the  words  which  they  utter,  so  that  they  can 
think  the  same  thoughts  in  the  same  words. 

Those  writers  instead  of  regarding  words  as  organic 
utterances  indissolubly  connected  with  thoughts  from 
the  earliest  exercise  of  the  mind  in  thinking,  and  the 
earliest  exercise  of  the  vocal  organs  in  articulation,  re- 
gard them  as  sounds  invented  by  men,  to  which,  by 
lifter  agreement,  they  annex  a  meaning  to  signify  par- 
ticular tilings.  Hence  their  notion  of  their  uncertainty 
and  insufficiency.  Because  the  meaning  so  annexed  to 
particular  words — that  is,  sounds — does  not  signify  all 
that  belongs  to  particular  things,  their  names,  natures, 
qualities,  acts,  conditions,  and  effects,  and  all  that  the 
imagination  can  conceive  respecting  them,  they  regard 
them  as  imperfect  and  uncertain,  and  fancy  themselves 
to  be  at  liberty,  and  to  be  competent,  to  remedy  the 
defect  by  annexing  further  meanings  and  varying  the 
signification.  Or  else,  on  the  other  hand,  they  treat 
them  as  inherently  dubious  and  inadequate,  and  fancy 
an  arcana  of  meanings  in  things  which  the  intellect 
perceives  or  imagines,  but  which  words,  owing  to  their 
paucity  and  the  limited  and  imperfect  meanings  which 


190  THE   PLKNAEY   INSPIRATION 

have  been  annexed  to  them,  are  incompetent  to  ex- 
press. Thus  Mr.  Locke  :  "  The  names  of  substances 
would  be  much  more  useful,  and  propositions  made  in 
them,  much  more  certain,  were  the  real  essences  of 
substances  the  ideas  in  our  minds,  which  those  words 
signified.  And  it  is  for  want  of  those  real  essences, 
that  our  words  convey  so  little  knowledge  or  certainty 
in  our  discourses  about  them ;  and,  therefore,  the  mind 
to  remove  that  imperfection  as  much  as  it  can,  makes 
them,  by  a  secret  supposition,  to  stand  for  a  thing  hav- 
ing that  real  essence,  as  if  thereby  it  made  some  nearer 
approaches  to  it."  (Book  3,  chap.  10.)  Thes^  non- 
verbal, unspoken  meanings  are  supposed  to  lie  beneath 
those  which  our  words  signify.  "What  they  are,  of 
course  can  not  be  told.  Were  we  but  conscious  of 
them  in  thought,  we  should  undoubtedly  have  words 
whereby  distinctly  to  express  them,  as  we  have  for  all 
other  thoughts.  Were  they  founded  in  feelings  or 
emotions,  we  should  think  of  them  in  words  as  we  do 
in  all  other  instances.  In  their  nature,  probably,  they 
are  either  mythical  or  figurative  in  the  sense  in  which 
it  is  so  common  with  commentators  to  treat  the  words 
of  our  language  when  they  are  used  in  Scripture  with- 
out a  fig  lire. 

But  suppose  it  to  be  true  that  there  is  in  the  objects 
of  sensation  something  which  our  senses  do  not  report 
to  us  so  that  we  can  express  it  in  existing  words,  or  in 
any  possible  words ;  and  something  in  the  like  predic- 
ament also,  in  our  internal  feelings,  and  in  our  intel- 
lectual cogitations,  of  what  imaginable  use  could  it  be 
to  us  to  be  certified  of  that  fact,  any  more  than  to  be 
certified  that  there  are  metals  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTUKKS.  191 

which  can  not  be  detected  by  our  senses,  and  creatures 
in  the  stars  whose  thoughts  and  feelings  are  such  as 
our  words  are  inadequate  to  describe  ?  All  we  can  say 
concerning  such  occult,  nameless,  and  imperceptible 
things,  is  that,  by  the  supposition,  they  exist.  That 
thought  we  have  words  to  express.-  Beyond  that  we 
know  nothing  of  such  supposed  things.  We  are  not 
conscious  of  them,  for  we  have  words  to  express  every 
thing  of  which  we  are  distinctly  conscious.  They  can 
have  no  possible  connection  with  our  practical  conduct, 
or  our  obligations ;  for  if  they  had,  we  should  be  con- 
scious of  them  and  act  voluntarily  in  relation  to  them. 
To  fancy  that  we  have  intellectual  apprehensions  and 
thoughts  of  them,  is  but  to  indicate  a  state  of  mind  like 
that  in  which  some  fancy  that  they  hear  inaudible 
sounds  and  see  things  without  light,  or  which  are  be- 
yond the  range  of  vision.  Yet  what  years  and  folios, 
from  age  to  age,  have  been  wasted  in  evading  and 
explaining  away  the  realities  of  our  organic,  constitu- 
tional, conscious,  and  responsible  existence,  actions,  and 
relations,  by  the  light  of  things  unknown  to  us,  and 
which  are  beneath  or  above  the  province  and  power  of 
language !  Language,  created  to  be  as  perfect  and  re- ' 
liable  a  medium  and  exponent  of  our  thoughts  as  the 
eye  is  of  sights,  and  the  ear  of  sounds,  how  has  it  been 
perverted  and  stultified  by  the  reveries  of  false  phi- 
losophy and  the  cravings  of  lawless  imagination  I" 

What  theories  and  speculations  have  ruled  the  world, 
in  opposition  to  the  Scriptures,  and  in  contradiction  to 
the  consciousness  of  men  ! 

Our  consciousness  of  what  exists  and  takes  place 
within  us,  is  the  ground  of  all  our  intellectual  and 


192  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

moral  convictions  and  beliefs.  Our  consciousness, 
though  it  includes  involuntary  sensations  and  feelings, 
rests  not  in  those  auxiliaries  of  the  intellect ;  but  cen- 
tres itself  upon  the  thoughts,  the  distinct  successive  cog- 
itations, which  are  connected  with  the  will,  and  for  which 
therefore  we  are  responsible.  Back  of  these  cogitations 
is  the  soul,  the  cogitative  agent,  with  its  intellectual  and 
executive  power  of  thinking  and  willing,  and  those 
inherent,  constitutional  principles,  or  beliefs,  which  are 
the  basis  of  all  acquired  knowledge — the  prerequisite 
condition,  as  truly  as  any  attribute  of  the  soul,  of  all 
cogitative  exercise  of  the  intellect.  They  are  that  in 
the  nature  and  constitution  of  the  soul,  without  which 
thinking  would  have  no  point  from  which  to  start — no 
basis  on  which  to  rest ;  reasoning  no  absolute,  indubi- 
table, undemonstrable  first  truths  from  which  to  ad- 
vance, or  in  which  to  terminate  ;  belief  no  insurmount- 
able barriers ;  consciousness  and  volition  no  rule  of 
discrimination.  Thinking,  reasoning,  belief,  and  con- 
sciousness, proceed  upon  them,  as  existing,  admitted, 
and  incontrovertible.  Without  them  as  its  platform, 
the  intellect  could  not  distinctly  and  with  confident 
certainty  cogitate  any  thing.  They  are  to  cogitation 
what  the  axioms  of  mathematics  are  to  the  science  built 
upon  them — foundation  truths  without  which  the  super- 
structure could  not  be  erected.  And  they  coexist  with 
that  in  our  constitution  which  makes  words  the  matrix 
and  medium  of  our  thoughts,  to  enable  us  to  conceive, 
express,  and  remember  them. 

Among  these  constitutional  intuitions,  is  that  by 
which  the  mind,  in  view  of  a  known  law  or  standard, 
decides,  as  by  a  necassary  and  resistless  impulse,  that 


OF   THE   HOLY   SCBIPTUBES.  193 

its  voluntary  cogitations  and  acts  are  good  or  bad,  and 
thereby  affords  indubitable  evidence  that  we  are  re- 
sponsible for  our  thoughts  as  well  as  for  our  acts,  be- 
cause they  equally  involve  the  concurrent  agency  of 
the  will.  To  the  working  of  such  a  constitution,  and 
in  order  to  our  consciousness  of  what  we  think  as  well 
as  of  what  we  do,  words  are  an  indispensable  adjunct 
and  instrument;  and  they  are  therefore  provided  or 
attainable,  to  an  extent  and  in  such  forms  as  to  be 
commensurate  to  all  our  thoughts.  In  harmony  with 
all  the  parts  of  our  being,  organic  and  voluntary,  in- 
tellectual, physical,  and  moral ;  they  are  essential  con- 
ditions of  our  existence  as  moral,  social,  and  account- 
able creatures,  and  directly  concern  our  relations  to 
the  Creator,  to  spiritual  and  material  things,  and  to  one 
another.  And  they  are  accordingly  the  medium,  not 
only  of  our  own  thoughts,  but  the  vehicle  selected  by 
Infinite  Wisdom  for  the  revelation  of  His  will  to  us. 
To  distrust  them  as  such  medium,  and  treat  them  as 
inadequate  to  their  office,  is  not  less  preposterous  and 
is  far  more  criminal,  than  to  distrust  the  adequacy  of 
the  visual  organ  for  its  purpose,  and  to  set  at  naught 
the  testimony  of  our  senses. 

The  organ  of  vision  performs  a  single  peculiar  func- 
tion, that  of  seeing  external  objects  ;  the  ear  also,  and 
the  other  organs  of  sensation,  each  has  a  single  peculiar 
function.  But  the  action  of  the  cogitative  agent,  to 
which  these  isolated  and  restricted  organs  are  in  their 
limited  sphere  auxiliary,  is  by  means  of  words  far 
more  extended  and  comprehensive.  By  the  senses 
certain  informations  are  received  into  the  mind  so  as  to 
be  objects  of  thought.     But  by  means  of  words  all  our 

9 


194  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

thoughts  are  conceived,  realized  to  our  consciousness, 
remembered  and  reproduced,  audibly  expressed  and 
heard,  committed  to  writing  and  read,  and  repeated, 
re-written,  and  re-remembered,  by  those  who  hear  and 
read  them.  Their  instrumentality  is  thus  pervading 
and  permanent.  Words  are  to  the  soul,  in  respect  to 
all  its  cogitations,  in  their  inception,  and  in  the  con- 
sciousness, and  recollection,  and  the  vocal  and  written 
expression  of  them,  what  light  is  to  the  visual  and 
sound  to  the  auditory  organ. 

The  body  with  its  organs  is  the  physical  instrument 
of  the  soul  for  certain  purposes  of  the  present  life, 
among  which  the  education  of  the  mind  and  heart  is 
the  principal.  In  this,  in  all  respects,  and  at  every 
step,  words  are  the  instruments  of  the  understanding 
and  the  will.  As  the  body  grows,  and  as  the  informa- 
tions of  sensational  experience  are  multiplied,  the  ex- 
ercise of  thought  advances,  and  words  are  a  growing 
necessity;  and  the  acquisition,  use,  and  memory  of 
them  keeps  pace  with  the  progress  of  every  branch  of 
knowledge. 

The  soul  is  an  organism  separable  from  the  body, 
and  as  such  has  constitutionally  certain  intuitive  per- 
ceptions and  principles  which,  like  elements  and  vital- 
ity, are  at  the  base  of  all  intellectual  and  voluntary 
exercises  of  the  mind,  and  which  will  survive  the  shock 
of  death  and  all  changes  of  the  material  organs.  Among 
these  are  such  propositions  as,  "I  exist" — "a  first 
cause,  a  self-existent,  an  infinite,  a  God,  exists." 
These  affirmative  axioms  and  the  correlate  negations, 
like  the  axioms  of  mathematics  to  the  intellect,  are  to 
the  soul  native  organic  beliefs,  as  necessarily  prerequi- 


OF   THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  195 

site  to  thinking,  reasoning,  and  reflecting,  as  that  pri- 
mordial faculty  which  we  call  the  understanding. 

They  are  of  the  nature  of  the  soul,  as  holiness  is  of 
the  nature  of  unfallen  creatures  and  of  renewed  man — 
a  basis  and  prerequisite  of  right  action ;  a  basis  on 
which  cogitation  proceeds  and  volition  arbitrates  and 
determines.  By  their  nature,  if  unstifled  and  unper- 
verted,  they  are  a  test  of  right  and  wrong  in  all  that 
we  think  and  do.  But  cogitation  founded  on  them 
takes  place  only  by  the  instrumentality  of  words  as  its 
medium  and  vehicle.  "Words,  therefore,  are  as  neces- 
sary to  a  being  formed  to  think,  as  the  eye  is  to  one 
formed  to  see ;  and  those  who  articulate  words  intelli- 
gently and  honestly,  as  perfectly  express  their  thoughts, 
as  those  perfectly  discern  visible  objects  who  open  their 
eyes.  And  but  for  the  confusion  which  in  metaphysics 
and  philosophy  has  arisen  from  the  notion  that  words 
represent  things  instead  of  thoughts,  the  Divine  institu- 
tion, office,  purpose,  and  use  of  words  would  have  been 
better  understood ;  innumerable  errors  would  have 
been  precluded ;  plenary  verbal  inspiration  of  the 
Scriptures  would  have  been  perceived  to  be  necessary 
from  the  nature  and  office  of  language  and  the  constitu- 
tion of  man  ;  no  words  would  be  treated  as  figurative 
which  did  not  denote  a  figure  and  express  a  deflected 
meaning ;  and  no  man  would  be  satisfied  with  the 
fancy,  that  particular  words  signified  thoughts  which 
they  did  not  express,  nor  excuse  himself  by  pretending 
that  he  verily  thought  one  thing  while  his  words  ex- 
pressed another. 

Unhappily  the  great  effort  of  a  large  succession  of 
writers  has  been,  under  cover  of  their  notion  of  the 


196  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

human  origin,  imperfection,  inadequacy,  and  uncer- 
tainty of  language,  their  total  ignorance  of  the  nature 
of  figures,  the  blinding  inspirations  of  false  philosophy, 
and  the  deceitfulness  and  corruption  of  their  hearts — 
to  unsettle  and  pervert  the  meaning  of  words,  and 
destroy  all  confidence  in  language. 

In  all  our  reasonings  concerning  the  soul  we  must 
regard  it  as  an  entity  possessing  the  attributes  necessary 
to  all  the  phenomena  exhibited  in  its  acts  under  the 
conditions  and  in  the  relations  in  which  it  exists.  Now 
one  of  its  conditions  is  that  of  union  with  an  organized 
physical  body,  and  among  its  relations  are  those  to  the 
Creator,  to  other  human  creatures,  and  to  the  external 
world.  In  order  to  its  action  relatively  to  external 
thiDgs,  the  eye,  the  ear,  and  other  physical  organs  are 
its  instruments.  In  order  to  its  action  of  thought, 
volition,  reflection,  memory,  and  consciousness,  in  its 
relations  to  its  Creator,  Benefactor,  Lawgiver,  Ke- 
deemer,  and  Judge,  and  to  its  fellow-creatures,  words 
are  the  constituted  medium  and  instrument ;  and  for 
the  ends  intended  to  be  answered  by  them,  they  are  no 
less  perfect  than  the  senses  are  for  their  respective 
offices.  Hence  in  our  relations  to  God,  His  commands 
and  instructions  are  expressed  to  us  in  words ;  and  all 
our  thoughts  towards  Him,  our  thoughts  of  reverence, 
adoration,  confidence,  and  love,  of  obligations  and  du- 
ties, of  gratitude  and  praise,  of  supplication  and  thanks- 
giving, are  conceived  and  expressed  in  words.  By 
words  we  impart  our  thoughts  to  each  other,  and  by 
the  inspiration  of  words  the  Divine  thoughts  were  con- 
veyed to  the  sacred  penmen. 

Their  mission  is  coextensive  with  cogitation  in  all 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  197 

the  conditions  and  relations  of  rational  creatures. 
They  are  the  constituted  medium  of  intercourse  be- 
tween heaven  and  earth,  and  between  men  remote  from 
each  other,  as  well  as  when  locally  near  on  earth.  The 
transmissions  of  intelligence  by  post  and  by  electric 
subserviency,  is  the  transmission  of  thoughts  in  words. 
They  are  the  vehicle  of  collective  thought,  of  compacts, 
covenants,  treaties,  laws,  judicial  trials,  testimony  ;  of 
associated  action  in  societies,  in  churches,  and  in  eccle- 
siastical and  political  bodies.  They  are  the  test  of  in- 
tegrity and  character.  By  their  words  men  are  to  be 
justified,  and  by  their  words  they  are  to  be  condemned. 
The  whole  number  of  languages  is  reckoned  at  about 
three  thousand.  Of  these  the  English  is  supposed  to 
be  the  most  copious,  having  about  eighty  thousand 
words.  But  the  number  of  radical  words  does  not 
exceed  about  seven  or  eight  to  the  hundred,  the  re- 
mainder being  formed  by  joining  roots  together  and  by 
derivation.  Now  the  manner  in  which  this  vast  dis- 
proportion of  compounds  and  derivatives  to  roots  is 
effected,  necessitates  the  conclusion  that  they  were  not 
devised  to  represent  things,  but  were  required  only  to 
express  new  and  modified  thoughts  by  new  and  modi- 
fied articulations  of  vocal  sounds,  extending  to  all  the* 
varieties,  and  marking  all  the  resemblances  and  shades 
of  thought.  To  imagine  them,  and  the  derivatives 
especially,  which  are  by  far  the  most  numerous  class 
in  the  vocabulary,  to  have  been  devised,  and  a  mean- 
ing assigned  to  them  to  represent  such  varieties  and 
diversities  of  things,  is  simply  absurd.  For,  to  assign 
no  other  reason,  they  are  formed  by  the  annexation  of 
prefixes  and  suffixes  to  the  root  words,  in  a  systematic 


198  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

and  orderly  manner  in  perfect  accordance  with  the 
organic  operation  of  our  intellectual  and  physical  con- 
stitution, and  so  as  to  express  number,  gender,  case, 
tense,  and  person,  which  are  not  sensible  properties  of 
things,  but  requisites  and  products  of  thought  and  lan- 
guage. 

The  fallacy  of  one  leading  class  of  writers  on  what 
they  are  pleased  to  call  the  phibsophy  of  language,  and 
on  the  etymologies  of  the  English  tongue,  arises,  as  is 
observed  above,  from  their  assumption  that  language  is 
of  human  contrivance — that  words  were  first  employed, 
like  pictures,  as  representative  of  things,  and  that  their 
subsequent  and  present  significance  is  legitimate  and 
correct  only  so  far  as  it  coincides  or  is  identical  with 
the  original  signification.  Such  is  the  basis  of  the  in- 
genious speculations  of  Mr.  Home  Tooke.  Whereas, 
on  the  contrary,  since  it  is  the  office  of  words  to  ex- 
press thoughts,  the  question  with  respect  to  particular 
words  is,  what  thoughts  they  are  now  employed  to  ex- 
press, not  what  the  same  words,  or  their  roots,  were 
originally  employed  to  signify.  Nothing  can  be  more 
obvious  than  that  a  particular  word  may  perfectly  ex- 
press a  certain  thought  at  one  period,  and  as  perfectly 
express  a  different  thought,  or  shade  of  thought,  at 
another  period.  The  etymology  of  words  may  illus- 
trate the  progress  of  transition  in  their  use,  and  thereby 
often  illustrate  the  progress  or  decline  of  thoughts,  and 
of  knowledge,  ignorance,  and  error,  but  can  be  no 
criterion  of  the  propriety  with  which  particular  words 
are  used  to  express  different  thoughts  at  different 
periods.  And  hence  we  may  infer  the  infinite  import- 
ance of  the  infallibility  of  the  words  of  Scripture.     The 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  199 

thoughts  which  they  express  are  unchangeably  the 
same,  and  therefore  behoove  ever  to  be  expressed  in  the 
same  words. 

The  fallacy  of  another  system — that  of  Locke  and 
his  followers — arises  from  the  assumptions,  that  our 
sources  of  knowledge  are  limited  to  sensation  and  re- 
flection, and  that  ideas,  which  he  holds  to  be  the  objects 
of  thought,  are  images  of  external  things  existing  in 
our  minds  and  impressing  them  ;  which  assumptions, 
besides  finally  resolving  every  thing  into  mere  con- 
sciousness of  the  ideas  or  operations  of  the  mind,  and 
inevitably  resulting  in  idealism,  made  no  provision  for 
those  primary  intuitions  and  beliefs  which  are  native 
to  the  mind  and  are  bases  of  its  action ;  nor  for  the 
knowledge  conveyed  in  the  words  of  Divine  inspira- 
tion. It  is  apparent  that  according  to  this  theory, 
language  must  be  defective  and  uncertain  to  the  same 
extent  that  the  images  or  copies  of  external  existences 
which  are  assumed  to  subsist  in  the  mind,  fail  to  cor- 
respond to  the  natures,  modes,  and  relations  of  the 
things  which  they  are  assumed  to  represent. 

According  to  the  theories  of  Aristotle,  Des  Cartes, 
Locke,  and  their  followers,  ideas  formed  and  existing 
in  the  mind,  were  images,  phantasms  of  things  ex- 
ternal to  the  mind,  and  as  such  were  the  immediate 
objects  of  thought,  and  the  medium  by  which  the  per- 
ception, real  or  imaginary,  of  external  objects  is 
effected.  They  seem  not  to  have  considered  that  in 
such  a  relation  thought  and  knowledge — conscious 
thought  and  conscious  knowledge — arc  identical.  That 
which  we  think  of  an  external  object,  is  that  which  we 
have  learned,  and  conceived,  and  know  concerning  it. 


200  TIIE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

If  we  know  nothing  of  a  particular  external  object, 
we  can  have  no  thoughts  concerning  it,  nor  concerning 
any  representative  image  of  it  in  the  mind :  we  can 
not  be  conscious  of  such  image,  nor  can  it  exist,  or  be 
the  object  of  thought  or  the  medium  of  perception. 
For  that  which  we  previously  know  of  an  external 
object,  must  be  the  basis  of  the  supposed  image,  and 
must  precede  the  formation  of  it.  The  object  itself, 
therefore,  must  have  been  the  immediate  object  of 
thought,  before  it  was  possible  for  the  mind  to  fabri- 
cate the  image.  Such  image,  then,  could  not  be  the 
medium  of  such  prior  thought,  and  if  formed,  could 
not  supersede  the  object  itself  as  the  immediate  object 
of  thought. 

In  their  discussions  they  more  or  less  confounded 
thoughts  and  what  they  denominated  ideas ;  and  they 
seem  to  have  mistaken  what  they  called  ideas,  for  what 
the  mind  is  conscious  of  by  the  conception  of  thoughts 
in  words.  They  overlooked  the  office  and  relations  of 
words  as  the  medium,  instrument,  and  representative 
of  thought.  If,  instead  of  taking  it  for  granted  that 
there  can  be  no  thoughts  without  the  supposed  ideal 
images  as  their  medium,  they  had  realized  that  there  can 
be  no  thoughts  except  in  words  as  their  medium,  their 
speculations  would  have  been  relieved  from  their  first 
and  chiefest  difficulty,  and  might  have  been  in  har- 
mony with  our  experience  and  our  consciousness. 
They  would  have  held  that  what  we  actually  perceive 
by  means  of  our  senses,  must '  as  really  and  certainty 
exist  as  we  exist  and  have  the  capacity  of  perception. 
The  Peripatetic,  instead  of  saying,  '  I  perceive  the 
form  of  an  object  which  comes  directly  from  it,  and 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES  201 

makes  an  impression  upon  my  mind,  as  a  seal  makes 
an  impression  upon  wax ; '  and  the  Cartesian,  instead 
of  saying,  '  I  perceive  an  image,  form,  or  idea  of  the 
object,  in  my  own  mind,'  would  respectively  say,  •  I 
perceive  the  object  itself,  by  means  of  the  senses  which 
are  a  part  of  my  nature  and  constitution  for  that  very 
purpose.'  And  on  the  other  hand,  instead  of  saying. 
'  We  think  immediately  of  the  ideal  images  in  our 
minds,'  they  would  say,  '"We  think  immediately  of  the 
objects  themselves  which  we  have  perceived  by  our 
senses  ;  but  we  think  in  words  which,  though  they  are 
not  images  of  external  objects,  and  have  no  resem- 
blance or  relation  to  them,  are  the  necessary  medium 
and  instrument  of  thought,  and  perfectly  signify,  ex- 
press, and  convey,  all  our  thoughts  upon  each  and  every 
subject.' 

These  erroneous  theories  have  exerted  a  powerful 
and  enduring  sway,  notwithstanding  their  palpable  in- 
consistency with  facts  and  with  all  practical  experi- 
ence in  the  use  of  language.  They  have  been  rendered 
current  by  the  authority  of  names,  and  by  the  suffrages 
of  teachers  and  writers,  given  without  examination  or 
suspicion.  That  they  are  erroneous,  unfounded,  and 
in  a  very  high  degree  injurious,  however,  scarcely 
needs  to  be  more  than  stated  to  be  felt  and  acknow- 
ledged. For  not  only  are  the  words  of  speakers  and 
writers  consciously  and  solely  employed  to  express 
their  thoughts,  but  for  the  most  part  they  have  no 
reference  whatever  to  visible  or  other  objects  of  the 
senses.  And  it  seems  impossible  that  they  should  be 
imagined  to  represent  things,  except  upon  the  footing 
of  idealism,   which   assumes   that  things   themselves 

0* 


202  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

have  no  existence  out  of  the  mind.  The  definitions  of 
words  in  our  dictionaries,  which  are  given  to  express 
and  illustrate  the  thoughts  represented  by  the  respect- 
ive words,  are  not  descriptions  of  things,  but  expres- 
sions of  the  same  thoughts  in  different  but  equivalent 
words.  Words  may  describe  things  by  expressing  our 
thoughts  concerning  them;  but  material  forms  and 
pictures  only  can  stand  as  their  representatives. 

It  is  in  the  high  province  of  metaphysics  to  treat  of 
the  properties  and  affections  of  all  beings.  In  relation 
to  the  human  mind,  however,  the  range  of  inquiry 
and  observation  is  limited  to  that  of  which  the  mind 
itself  is  conscious.  But  in  this  department  of  meta- 
physical investigation,  the  writers  seem,  from  first  to 
last,  to  have  overlooked  the  fact,  that  we  are  as  con- 
scious of  words,  and  of  thoughts  only  in  words,  as  we 
are  of  sensations ;  and  that  we  remember  our  thoughts, 
and  equally  our  sensations,  only  in  the  words  by  which 
we  express  them  to  others.  The  Aristotelian  and 
Cartesian  doctrine  which  ruled  in  the  schools  of  learn- 
ing more  than  two  thousand  years,  that  our  ideas  are 
copies  of  external  things  impressed  on  our  minds  by 
sensation,  as  seals  are  impressed  on  wax,  seems  to  have 
wholly  diverted  the  attention  of  philosophers  and  on- 
tologists  from  words  of  which  we  are  conscious  as  the 
element  and  condition  of  thought,  to  an  imaginary 
notion  of  which  no  one  is  or  can  be  conscious. 

Undoubtedly,  except  by  constitutional  intuition,  and 
Divine  inspiration,  we  neither  know  nor  can  know  any 
thing  of  mind,  but  by  its  own  consciousness.  We  are 
conscious  of  sensations  by  means  of  our  senses.  We 
are  conscious  of  thoughts  by  means  of  words.     Such 


OP  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  203 

consciousness  is  common  to  all,  and  as  much  and  as 
reliably  within  the  observation  of  one  as  of  another. 
It  is  not,  like  matter,  a  subject  of  experiment  and  ana- 
lysis; and  is  realized  not  by  scientific  inquiry,  but  by 
intellectual  observation.  It  may  be  the  subject  of  ob- 
servation more,  indefinitely,  to  some  than  to  others; 
but  the  truth  of  whatever  may  be  said  respecting  the 
mind,  must  be  determined  by  an  appeal  to  conscious- 
ness. And  hence  may  be  seen  the  admirable  wisdom 
and  goodness  of  the  Creator,  in  providing  words  as  the 
medium  of  conscious  and  responsible  thought,  whereby 
each  individual  is  a  microcosm,  a  world  in  himself,  in- 
dependently of  the  learning  of  philosophers  and  the 
theories  and  systems  of  science :  conditioned  to  be  a 
rational  and  accountable  agent,  independently  of  all 
other  created  agents ;  and  capable  of  receiving,  by  in- 
spired words,  the  knowledge  of  things  out  of  and  far 
above  the  natural  sphere  of  his  personal  consciousness. 
The  first,  and  by  far  the  most  important,  problem 
in  mental  philosophy,  relates  to  our  constitutional  intu- 
itions, or  those  primary  principles,  which  are  as  much 
of  the  nature  of  the  soul,  as  understanding,  will,  or  any 
of  its  constitutional  properties.  That  those  constitu- 
tional principles,  or  beliefs,  exist,  are  among  the  condi- 
tions precedent  to  cogitation,  and  are  realized  and  felt 
to  be  authoritative  coincidently  with  the  cogitative  and 
responsible  exercises  of  the  mind,  is  undeniable,  and 
is  generally  acknowledged.  Nor  is  it  any  more  in- 
credible or  wonderful  that  they  should  be  of  the  nature 
of  a  thinking  and  responsible  agent,  than  that  the  ca- 
pacity of  feeling,  thinking,  and  willing  should  be  of 
the  nature  of  such  an  agent,  and  be  realized  and  mani- 


204  THE   PLENARY  IXSPIRATIOX 

fested  from  the  first  dawn  of  experience.  Like  latent 
heat  in  matter  which  becomes  sensible  by  experiment, 
they  are  in  the  constitution  of  the  soul,  to  be  realized 
by  the  exercise  of  its  faculties ;  as  understanding,  will, 
and  other  faculties,  are  of  the  nature  of  the  soul,  and 
are  realized  by  the  rational  exercise  of  its  powers. 
They  are  involuntary,  spontaneous,  necessary  convic- 
tions, feelings,  beliefs,  arising  in  such  variety  and  in 
such  relations  as  are  demanded  by  the  voluntary  acts 
of  the  mind :  the  elements  and  groundwork  of  cogita- 
tion. These  primordial  facts,  feelings,  beliefs,  are  ele- 
ments of  our  mental  constitution  and  conditions  of  our 
acquired  knowledge,  and  must,  therefore,  be  regarded 
by  us  as  ultimate  and  true.  For  if  not  so  regarded, 
then  no  fact  of  which  we  are  conscious,  can  for  that 
reason  be  held  to  be  true,  and  we,  therefore,  can  have 
no  certainty  that  any  thing  is  true. 

The  congruity  of  these  original  principles,  as  being 
of  the  nature  of  the  soul,  with  the  acquisition  of  know- 
ledge by  instruction,  and  the  concurrent  exercise  of  the 
understanding  and  the  will,  in  thinking  and  reasoning, 
both  corroborates  and  illustrates  the  reality  of  their 
existence,  their  indispensableness,  and  their  sponta- 
neity. They  are  in  harmony  with  the  earliest  intel- 
lectual perceptions  in  children,  as  the  mechanism  of  the 
eye  i»  preadjusted  and  in  harmony  with  their  earliest 
visual  perceptions.  Without  that  preexistence  and 
adjustment  of  the  visual  organ,  the  access  of  light  and 
of  physical  objects  would  be  in  vain.  Without  the 
preexistence  and  spontaneous  coaction  of  these  origins] 
principles,  the  access  of  excitements  to  think,  reflect, 
and  reason,  would  be  ineffectual.     Their  spontaneous 


OF   THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  205 

realization  and  harmony  with  the  first  intellectual  per- 
ceptions, accords  with  the  synthetic,  which,  in  distinc- 
tion from  the  analytic,  is  the  natural  and  necessary 
mode  of  primary  instruction.  In  effect  they  arc  to  the 
mind,  what  optical  p  readjustment  is  to  the  eye:  and 
as  the  most  simple  and  familiar  objects  only,  are  first 
observed  and  discriminated  by  the  visual  faculty,  so 
the  simplest  facts  of  sensation,  which,  as  subjects  of 
thought,  imply  certain  preexistent  and  necessary  facts 
or  principles,  are  those  first  brought  to  the  notice  of 
the  intellect.  As  the  progress  of  instruction  and  ex- 
perience supplies  new  thoughts,  their  antecedent  cor- 
relates are  spontaneously  evolved. 

The  doctrine  of  second  causes,  which  unavoidably 
results  from  the  Scripture  doctrine,  concerning  The 
First  Cause,  involves  what  is  asserted  of  the  existence, 
operation,  and  relations  of  these  original  principles.  All 
created  existences  are  the  product  of  the  First  Cause. 
But,  in  creatures,  all  operations  and  changes  which  are 
not  supernatural,  proceed  from  the  laws  and  forces  of 
dependent  causation  which  belongs  to  their  constitution 
as  creatures.  Thus  the  laws  and  forces  of  matter  are 
causes,  not  merely  antecedents,  of  their  uniform  and 
appropriate  effects.  Their  existence  is  manifested  by 
the  effects  which,  under  the  proper  conditions,  they 
uniformly  produce.  Their  limited  potency,  and  the 
uniformity  of  their  effects,  prove  that  they  are  of  the 
nature  of  matter ;  so  that,  so  far  a3  we  know  or  can 
conceive,  matter,  organized  physical  substances,  do  not 
and  can  not  exist  without  them.  Free  agents  also  are 
causes  of  appropriate  effects  under  the  proper  condi- 
tions.     The  effects  which  are  realized  to  their  con- 


206  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

sciousness  by  the  free  exercise  of  their  agency  in  think- 
ing, demonstrate  to  them  the  existence  of  these  inherent 
principles  of  their  nature.  For  it  is  only  in  the  act  of 
thinking,  that  they  have  any  consciousness  of  these  na- 
tive principles,  facts,  and  beliefs.  Thinking  sponta- 
neously causes  this  consciousness,  and  the  further  con- 
sciousness or  perception,  of  the  agreement  or  disagree- 
ment of  their  thoughts  with  those  constitutional  prin- 
ciples. The  effects  thus  caused  at  pleasure  by  a 
dependent  free  agent  demonstrate  the  existence  in  his 
nature  of  the  principles  in  question. 

But  the  existence  of  these  primary  beliefs  proves,  on 
the  one  hand,  that  we  do  not  acquire  all  our  knowledge 
from  sensation ;  and  on  the  other,  that  words  are  the 
true  exponent,  vehicle,  and  measure  of  our  conscious 
thoughts;  whether  they  be  thoughts  which  originate 
in  our  own  minds,  or  thoughts  conveyed  to  us  by  our 
fellow-men,  or  in  the  words  of  inspiration.  For  they 
attest  the  coincidence  between  the  thoughts  of  which 
we  are  conscious  and  the  words  in  which  they  are  con- 
ceived by  us,  and  by  which  we  receive  them  from  or 
express  them  to  others.  Without  extrinsic  proof  or 
verbal  demonstration,  we  necessarily  believe  the  identity 
of  our  thoughts  with  the  meaning  of  the  words  in 
which  we  conceive  them,  or  by  which  they  are  con- 
veyed to  us.  The  Cartesian  postulate,  '  I  think,  there- 
fore, I  exist,'  asserts  a  fact,  namely,  that  we  are  con- 
scious of  thought.  But  we  are  not  more  conscious 
of  that  fact  than  we  are  of  the  word  by  which  we  ex- 
press it.  The  correlation  of  the  fact  and  word,  and  the 
inference  I  exist,  are  intuitions,  beliefs,  coeval  with  the 
premise,  and  necessary  concomitants  of  it,  existing  in 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  207 

the  mind  antecedently  to  any  formal  statement  or  in- 
duction. 

Our  perception  of  an  external  object  of  sensation  is 
immediately  attended  not  only  by  a  consciousness  that 
we  perceive  that  object,  but  by  a  conscious  knowledge 
that  the  object  perceived  is  separate  and  distinct  from 
ourselves.  That  knowledge  is  the  awakened  intuitive 
response  of  the  soul,  and  includes  the  reality  and  the 
externality  of  the  object,  and  its  distinctness  from  other 
objects;  and  it  embodies  itself,  or  is  conceived  in 
words,  and  is  at  once  a  basis  of  reasoning,  induction,  and 
action.  Sensation,  which  evermore  precedes  the  per- 
ception of  external  objects,  is  thus  auxiliary  to  intel- 
lectual perception  and  consciousness.  It  furnishes  a 
point  of  information,  a  key-note,  answerable  to  which 
the  constitutional  principles,  the  normal  beliefs  of  the 
soul,  concerning  what  relates  to  the  object  perceived, 
become  subjects  of  consciousness.  The  same  is  true 
equally  of  intellectual  conceptions.  Every  sensational 
perception,  and  every  intellectual  conception,  implies 
certain  correlate  or  necessary  truths,  which  it  does  not 
express  or  comprise ;  but  of  which  the  soul  becomes 
immediately  conscious.  Our  conscious,  intuitive  belief 
of  the  externality  of  physical  objects,  is  as  unequivocal, 
and  of  course  as  much  to  be  relied  on,  as  our  conscious- 
ness that  we  perceive  those  objects.  But  our  sensa- 
tional perception  of  such  objects  does  not  include  their 
externality.  That,  and  other  things  which  may  be  pre- 
dicated of  them,  and  equally  of  intellectual  conceptions, 
is  an  intuition  of  which  the  mind  becomes  conscious  as 
perceptions  take  place. 

Now  that  the  soul  should  be  endowed  with  such 


208  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

original  principles,  cognitions,  beliefs,  and  become  con- 
scious of  them  when  prompted  by  sensational  or  intel- 
lectual perceptions,  is  in  no  degree  more  remarkable 
than  that  it  should  be  so  constituted  as  to  conceive  par- 
ticular thoughts,  and  to  perceive  particular  objects,  or 
than  that  it  should  have  the  normal  capacity  of  per- 
ceiving under  appropriate  conditions,  the  qualities  of 
right  and  wrong  in  moral  actions,  and  of  experienc- 
ing consequent  emotions  corresponding  to  its  moral 
judgments.  The  very  notion  of  an  intelligent  rational 
agent,  implies  the  endowments  or  powers  in  question. 
They  are  of  man's  nature  as  an  intellectual,  rational, 
and  moral  being.  Among  all  these  normal  cognitions 
there  is  nothing  more  incredible  or  mysterious  than 
what  every  one  is  conscious  of  in  his  intuitive  beliefs, 
that  part  of  a  thing  is  not  equal  to  the  whole,  that  an 
effect  must  have  a  cause,  a  contrivance  a  contriver,  a 
creature  a  creator. 

But  our  perceptions  of  external  objects  which  are 
consequent  on  sensations,  our  intellectual  conceptions, 
the  emotions  awakened  by  them,  and  our  primary  be- 
liefs in  connection  with  all  these  mental  exercises,  are 
realized  to  our  consciousness  in  words,  and  not  other- 
wise, that-  is,  in  words  mentally  or  orally  articulated. 
"Words  are  their  medium  and  vesture,  the  condition  of 
their  being  remembered,  and  the  vehicle  by  which 
alone  they  can  be  expressed  to  others.  It  is  the  office 
of  words,  therefore,  to  represent  the  thoughts  of  which 
we  are  conscious,  and  not  their  office  to  represent  the 
external  physical  objects  of  sensation,  which  are  out  of 
the  sphere  of  our  consciousness,  and  which  are  per- 
ceived by  the  mind  only  through  the  organic  instru- 
mentality of  the  senses. 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  209 

That  in  the  constitution  of  the  soul,  by  reason  of 
which  we  are  conscious  of  thought,  is  that  by  reason 
of  which  we  arc  coi'ncidently  conscious  of  the  words  in 
which  our  thoughts  are  contained,  and  of  their  corre- 
lation and  indentity  of  significance.  It  results  spon- 
taneously from  the  nature,  constitution,  capacity  of  the 
soul  that  we  should  be  conscious  of  words  when  we 
think,  as  we  are  conscious  of  light  when  we  open  our 
eyes,  and  of  articulate  sounds  when  words  are  audibly 
spoken  or  read  in  our  hearing.  Such  consciousness  is 
the  ground,  or  prerequisite  condition  of  our  under- 
standing, discriminating,  and  comprehending  any  thing, 
internal  or  external.  Hence,  without  further  disqui- 
sition in  this  direction,  we  may  perceive  the  absolute 
necessity  of  the  joint  inspiration  of  thoughts  and 
words. 

Revelation  is  addressed  not  to  a  particular  faculty 
of  our  minds,  but  to  our  whole  nature  as  rational  and 
accountable  agents.  It  consists  of  facts  and  laws,  in- 
junctions and  prohibitions,  instructions  and  illustrations, 
challenging  instant  faith  and  obedience  on  our  part 
When  these  are  presented  to  the  mind  in  words,  our 
intellectual  and  moral  nature  responds  to  their  reality 
and  truth  as  verbally  expressed,  in  like  manner  and 
for  the  same  reason  that  the  dormant  constitutional  be- 
liefs of  those  to  whom  no  Divine  revelation  is  made  in 
words,  are  quickened  and  rendered  efficient  so  as  to 
subject  them  to  moral  obligation,  and  render  their  dis- 
obedience inexcusable,  when  they  behold  the  works  of 
creation  which  intelligibly  manifest  the  invisible  things, 
even  the  eternal  power  and  Godhead  of  the  Creator. 
(Rom.  1  :  20.) 


210  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

It  is  of  the  nature  of  the  soul,  and  in  order  to  its 
action  as  a  moral  agent,  to  have  various  capacities,  sus- 
ceptibilities and  powers,  all  of  which,  like  his  senses, 
.are  dormant  till  excited  by  some  appropriate  instru- 
mentality. This  is  equally  manifest  in  the  education 
of  children,  and  in  the  experience  of  adults.  But 
when  quickened  they  spontaneously  attest  the  corre- 
lation and  congruity  of  that  which  they  deliver  with 
that  which  excites  them.  The  correlation  of  words 
and  thoughts  is  thus  attested  ;  and  therefore  inspired 
thoughts  imply  inspired  words,  and  demonstrate  the 
importance  of  the  words  employed  as  the  matrix  and 
counterpart  of  the  thoughts  conveyed.  And  since 
words  are  naturally  the  instrument  of  thought  and  of 
intercourse  among  men,  since  they  are  the  vehicle  of 
revelation,  and  of  intercourse  between  man  and  his 
Creator,  and  since  the  thoughts  which  he  conceives  and 
is  conscious  of  in  words  during  the  present  life,  he  is  to 
remember  in  the  future,  we  may  infer  that  words  are 
forever  to  be  the  medium  and  instrument  of  his 
thoughts. 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  211 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PRACTICAL  BEARINGS  OF  THE  SUBJECT — PERVERSION'S 
OF  LANGUAGE. 

The  bearing,  on  the  instruction  of  the  young, 
of  what  has  been  advanced  concerning  the  ministry 
of  words,  is  too  obvious  to  require  any  extended 
illustration.  It  is  not  only  of  the  first  importance  to 
teach  them  the  exact  meaning  of  words,  that  they  may 
ever  after  serve  as  stereotype  patterns  of  their  thoughts ; 
but  to  teach  them  especially,  those  words  which  imme- 
diately concern  their  highest  relations  as  accountable 
creatures,  their  obligations  and  duties,  their  spiritual 
and  eternal  interests.  Such  words  indelibly  printed  on 
the  memory,  are  as  beacons  and  landmarks.  They  form 
the  nucleus  of  association,  the  waiting  handmaid  and 
instrument  of  thought.  They  are  to  be  taught  not 
merely  as  the  means  of  present  instruction  and  impres- 
sion, but  that  they  may  have  a  fixed  and  permanent 
lodgment  in  the  understanding,  be  remembered  and  re- 
called, and  taught  by  each  one  to  his  sons  and  his  sons' 
sons.  Such  is  declared  by  Moses  to  have  been  the 
purpose  of  the  announcements  at  Sinai,  amidst  the 
most  imposing  and  awakening  external  circumstances. 
"  Take  heed  to  thyself,  and  keep  thy  soul  diligently, 


212  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

lest  thou  forget  the  things  which  thine  eyes  have  seen, 
and  lest  they  depart  from  thy  heart  all  the  days  of  thy 
life :  but  teach  them  thy  sons,  and  thy  sons'  sons : 
specially  the  day  that  thou  stoodest  before  the  Lord 
thy  God  in  Horeb,  when  the  Lord  said  unto  me,  Gather 
Me  the  people  together,  and  I  will  make  them  hear 
My  words,  that  they  may  learn  to  fear  Me  all  the 
days  that  they  shall  live  upon  the  earth,  and  that  they 
may  teach  their  children.  And  ye  came  near  and 
stood  under  the  mountain ;  and  the  mountain  burned 
with  fire  unto  the  midst  of  heaven,  with  darkness, 
clouds,  and  thick  darkness.  And  the  Lord  spake 
unto  you  out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire :  Ye  heard  the 
voice  of  the  words,  but  saw  no  similitude  :  only  ye 
heard  a  voice.  And  He  declared  unto  you  His  cove- 
nant, which  He  commanded  you  to  perform,  even  ten 
commandments :  and  He  wrote  them  upon  two  tables 
of  stone."  (Deut.  4.)  Again:  " These  words  which 
I  command  thee  this  day,  shall  be  in  thine  heart :  and 
thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  unto  thy  children,  and 
shalt  talk  of  them  when  thou  sittest  in  thine  house, 
and  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  when  thou 
liest  down,  and  when  thou  risest  up.  And  thou 
shalt  bind  them  for  a  sign  upon  thine  hand,  and  they 
shall  be  as  frontlets  between  thine  eyes.  And  thou 
shalt  write  them  upon  the  posts  of  thy  house,  and  on 
thy  gates."     (Deut.  6.) 

Conformably  to  this  view  of  the  importance  of  the 
verbal  instruction  of  the  young,  and  in  addition  to  the 
special  and  inperative  injunction  upon  parents,  the 
tribe  of  Levi  was  set  apart  to  study,  explain,  and  copy 
the  words  of  the  Law,  and  distributed  among  the  other 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  213 

tribes  to  teach  them.  The  priests  and  judges  were  to 
learn  them  thoroughly.  The  kings  were  each  to  write 
a  copy  of  them,  and  to  read  them  all  the  days  of  their 
lives  ;  and  it  is  said  prospectively  of  those  who  should 
turn  from  transgression  :  "  My  spirit  that  is  upon  thee, 
and  My  words  which  I  have  put  in  thy  mouth,  shall  not 
depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy 
seed,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed's  seed,  saith  the 
Lord,  from  henceforth  and  forever."     (Isa.  59.) 

The  same  observations  are  in  like  manner  appli- 
cable to  verbal  formularies,  creeds,  and  confessions, 
as  to  particular  words.  The  Scriptures  consist  of 
words  which  "  principally  teach,  what  man  is  to  be- 
lieve concerning  God,  and  what  duties  God  requires  of 
man ;"  and  brief  summaries  of  what  they  teach,  in 
statements,  and  propositions  in  sentences  in  which  par- 
ticular words  are  combined  in  grammatical  form  and 
succession,  are  no  less  necessary  and  important  to  be 
taught,  understood,  and  remembered,  than  any  parti- 
ticular  words  in  their  special  relations.  The  sacred 
oracles  accordingly  abound  in  brief  statements  or  pro- 
positions which  are  to  be  believed,  and  in  brief  and 
emphatic  precepts,  and  rules  of  life,  like  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments, the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  all  the  di- 
dactic portions  of  both  Testaments ;  from  a  collection  and 
summary  of  which  the  "Westminster  Confession  and  Ca- 
techism, and  all  other  evangelical  creeds  and  confessions, 
are  formed.  They  comprehensively  fulfill  the  office  of 
words,  as  the  medium  of  associated  thoughts  ;  and  their 
use  is  sanctioned  in  Scripture  both  directly  and  by  the 
quotation  in  the  New  of  particular  formularies  from  the 
Old.     "  The  word  is  nigh  thee,  even  in  thy  mouth  and 


214  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

in  thy  heart ;  that  is,  the  word  of  faith  which  we 
preach  :  that  if  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God 
hath  raised  Him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved. 
For  with  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  righteousness, 
and  with  the  mouth  confession  is  made  unto  salva- 
tion." (Rom.  10.)  "  God  is  a  Spirit  and  they  that 
worship  Him,  must  worship  Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 
— There  is  one  God,  and  one  Mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus. — Christ  died  for  our 
sins,  and  rose  again  for  our  justification. — Believe  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved. — The 
just  shall  live  by  faith. — We  shall  all  appear  before  the 
judgment  seat  of  Christ."  These  are  examples  of 
Scripture  formularies,  in  the  sense  referred  to.  But, 
even  on  the  most  essential  points  of  doctrine,  they  are, 
in  the  sacred  record,  so  frequently  repeated  in  different 
connections,  that  a  summary  of  them,  like  that  of  the 
"Westminster  Assembly,  may  be  said  to  be  equally  ne- 
cessary, commendable  and  advantageous.  Like  the 
formula  of  baptism,  and  the  hallelujahs,  and  doxolo- 
gies  of  true  worshippers  both  on  earth  and  in  heaven, 
they  concisely  represent  connected  thoughts  on  the 
most  exalted  subjects. 

What  the  Scriptures  teach  they  teach  in  the  words 
which  were  inspired  and  written.  They  teach  nothing 
beyond  that.  They  have  no  spiritual  or  concealed 
meaning.  Those  words  intelligibly  conveyed  the  in- 
tended thoughts.  Hence  the  great  importance  every- 
where attached  in  Scripture  to  the  original  words,  as 
being  all  alike  inspired,  and  of  Divine  authority.  To 
add  to  them  or  detract  from  them  was  to  incur  an  ana- 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  215 

thema.  "  Every  word  of  God  is  pure — add  thou  not 
to  1  lis  words  lest  He  reprove  thee,  and  thou  be  found  a 
liar."  (Prov.  30.)  "  If  any  man  shall  add  unto  these 
things,  God  shall  add  unto  him  the  plagues  that  are 
written  in  this  book  ;  and  if  any  man  shall  take  awa}r 
from  the  words  of  the  book  of  this  prophecy,  God 
shall  take  away  his  part  out  of  the  book  of  life." 
(Eev.  22.) 

The  original  words  were  the  standard,  as  infallibly 
expressing  the  meaning  of  the  Revealer.  To  teach  and 
understand  this  meaning  correctly,  was  therefore  of  the 
first  importance  ;  and  it  is  of  no  less  importance  now 
than  at  any  former  period,  and  no  less  important  in 
translations  than  it  was  to  those  to  whom  the  originals 
were  vernacular.  The  translator  who  correctly  under- 
stands the  words  of  the  originals,  and  the  equivalent 
words  of  his  version,  may  convey  the  same  thoughts 
with  the  latter  which  were  inspired  with  the  former. 
It  follows  from  the  nature  and  office  of  words,  as  the 
moulds  and  instruments  of  thought,  that  words  in  one 
tongue — words  articulated  in  one  manner — may  as  per- 
fectly as  those  of  any  other  tongue,  express  the  same 
thoughts ;  and  that  words  perfectly  synonymous  with 
others  in  the  same  language,  may  be  substituted  for 
each  other,  without  necessary  or  essential  disparage- 
ment to  the  thoughts  to  be  conveyed. 

Hence  the  various  readings  which  are  discovered 
by  comparison  of  manuscript  copies  of  the  originals  are 
practically  of  no  consideration ;  since,  though  numer- 
ous in  the  later  copies,  they  are  fewer  in  those  of  older 
date  ;  and  in  every  instance,  the  substituted  word  is 
shown  by  collation  with  the  corresponding  word  in  other 


216  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

and  older  copies,  in  the  same  and  other  places,  to  be  of 
equivalent  signification,  or  at  least  to  differ  more  in 
sound  than  in  sense ;  that  is,  the  various  readings,  so 
far  as  new  words  are  introduced,  are  translations  of  the 
original  words,  into  other  words  of  the  same  language ; 
occasioned  probably  by  inadvertence,  the  copyist  hav- 
ing the  true  thought  expressed  it  in  a  parallel  instead 
of  the  original  word.  Most  of  the  variations  between 
different  copies  are  of  letters  only  ;  but  neither  in  re- 
spect to  them,  nor  to  those  of  words,  is  there  any  evi- 
dence of  corrupt  design  or  of  collusion,  on  the  part  of 
copyists  ;  separated  as  they  were  in  time  and  place,  and 
independent  of  each  other.  Even  the  manuscripts 
which  are  least  esteemed,  contain  every  doctrine  of 
faith,  every  moral  precept,  and  every  important  his- 
torical fact,  that  is  found  in  the  best,  and  nothing  of  a 
contrary  and  inconsistent  nature.  Hence  the  consist- 
ency of  our  Saviour  and  His  Apostles,  when  quoting 
from  the  Old  Testament,  in  sometimes  using  the  version 
of  the  Seventy,  as  conveying  in  those  cases,  the 
thoughts  of  the  original,  and  being  familiar,  probably, 
to  their  hearers  and  readers,  instead  of  always  directly 
translating  from  the  Hebrew  into  Syriac,  or  into  Greek. 
A  faithful  translation  of  the  Scriptures  from  the 
original  text  into  another  language,  may,  to  the  reader 
who  correctly  understands  that  language,  have  the 
same  authority  as  the  original  had  to  those  to  whom 
that  was  vernacular.  A  faithful  translation  expresses 
the  thoughts  of  the  original  in  the  words  of  the  version. 
The  translator  must  correctly  conceive  the  inspired 
thoughts  both  in  the  words  of  the  text  and  in  the  words  of 
his  version.     To  him,  therefore,  they  will  have  the  same 


OF  THE   IIOLY   SCRIPTURES.  217 

authority  in  the  one  as  in  the  other.  If  he  so  under- 
stands the  original  words  as  correctly  to  conceive  the 
thoughts  in  them,  his  reader  can  so  understand  the 
words  of  his  version  as  to  conceive  the  thoughts  in 
those  words,  as  correctly  as  the  translator  could  con- 
ceive and  understand  them  in  the  original  words. 

The  words  are  as  truly  the  vehicle  of  the  thoughts 
in  the  one  case  as  in  the  other.  The  question  as  to  the 
words  is,  whether  they  correctly  signify  and  express 
the  thoughts.  If  the  translator  is  competent,  and  selects 
the  projDer  words,  they  can  not  fail  to  express  and  con- 
vey the  thoughts  to  the  same  effect  and  with  the  same 
authority  as  the  original.  If  he  fails  to  do  this,  or  is 
charged  with  having  failed,  and  controvery  ensues,  ap- 
peal is  made  to  the  original  text,  to  determine  whether 
in  that  he  rightly  conceived  the  inspired  thought,  or 
whether  he  misconceived  it,  and  therefore  failed  to 
substitute  the  proper  word  to  convey  that  thought  in 
his  translation.  Inspiration  is  no  more  necessary  to  a 
faithful  translator,  than  it  was  to  a  right  understanding 
of  the  original  text  by  those  who  were  contemporary 
with  the  sacred  writers  and  spoke  the  same  language. 

The  preceding  observations  concerning  the  import- 
ance of  teaching  the  meaning  of  words  of  truth,  as  the 
vehicle  of  right  thoughts,  suggest  the  obligation  and  im- 
portance of  witholding  the  young  from  hearing  or  read- 
ing impious  and  corrupt  words,  which  are  the  vehicle 
of  evil  thoughts. 

All  the  corruptions  and  perversions  of  language  have 
resulted  from  the  apostasy  of  man.  His  heart  being 
alienated  and  corrupt,  every  imagination  of  the 
thoughts  of  his  heart  became  evil.     Out  of  the  heart, 

10 


218  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

proceed  evil  thoughts.  Evil  thoughts  require  perverted 
and  corrupt  words ;  and  in  so  far  as  such  words  are 
learnt  by  hearing  and  reading,  they  convey  the 
thoughts  to  the  understandings  of  the  learners.  Evil 
communications  corrupt  good  manners.  Profanity, 
impurity,  lying,  deceiving,  hatred,  malice,  cruelty,  and 
all  the  forms  of  internal  and  external  wickedness,  have 
words  which  distinctively  express  them.  The  perver- 
sion of  words  to  a  false,  immoral,  and  corrupt  use,  like 
heresies  and  false  theories,  proceeds  from  the  father  of 
lies,  who,  when  he  speaketh  a  lie,  speaketh  of  his  own. 
Evil  words  with  evil  thoughts  are  of  the  inspiration  of 
the  evil  one,  who  was  a  lying  spirit  in  the  mouth  of 
the  false  prophets,  who  tempted  Ananias  and  Sapphira, 
and  put  it  into  the  heart  of  Judas  to  betray  his  Master. 
The  first  thought  of  murder  doubtless  came  to  Cain 
from  that  wicked  one,  who  was  a  murderer  from  the 
beginning ;  as  the  first  thought  of  the  primeval  trans- 
gression was  directly  of  his  suggestion.  New  forms  of 
wickedness,  subsequently,  are  treated  as  of  his  device 
and  instigation — idolatry  and  the  abominations  asso- 
ciated with  it — witchcraft,  sorcery,  divinations,  magic, 
and  the  like;  violence,  persecution,  war;  falsehood, 
detraction,  intolerance,  tyranny,  and  all  evil  principles 
and  passions.  All  these  things,  and  their  qualities,  and 
the  acts  to  which  they  relate,  have  verbal  designations 
and  terms  of  qualification  and  action,  which  are  per- 
verted from  their  primeval  signification  and  use,  or  are 
devised  for  their  purpose  as  instruments  of  evil 
thoughts  ;  by  means  of  which  the  prince  of  the  power 
of  the  air  rules  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  of  disobe- 
dience.    In  his  vocabulary  are  treasured  up  and  pre- 


OF  THE  HOLY.  SCRIPTURES.  219 

served  all  the  evil  thoughts  of  fallen  creatures  of  an- 
cient and  modern  times  ;  as  in  the  words  of  truth  and 
virtue,  are  embalmed  the  thoughts  of  wisdom  and 
goodness.  In  both  instances  the  thoughts  of  success- 
ive generations  are  conceived,  remembered,  and  ex- 
pressed, as  the  meaning  of  the  words — the  knowledge 
of  the  instruments — is  attained  by  hearing  or  reading. 
But  as  the  hearts  of  all  are  corrupt  and  infested  with 
evil  propensities  and  passions,  the  words  of  evil  are 
most  congenial  and  most  welcome  to  them,  and  gain 
the  firmest  lodgment  in  the  memory,  and  are  most 
easily  quickened  and  recalled  to  recollection. 

The  perversion  of  words  originally  truthful  and 
virtuous  in  their  signification,  to  corrupt  and  immoral 
uses,  and  the  introduction  of  new  words  of  good  or  bad 
significance,  or  merely  as  instruments  of  increasing 
knowledge  in  science  and  arts,  are  rapid  and  easy  under 
some  circumstances,  and  under  others  slow  and  diffi- 
cult. The  intellectual  and  physical  constitution  and 
organization  of  man,  involves  a  like  capacity  of  form- 
ing new  words — new  vocal  articulations — as  of  con- 
ceiving new  thoughts.  The  power  of  naming  all  the 
objects  of  sensation  and  of  thought,  and  of  expressing 
their  relations  and  their  agencies,  is  lodged  in  the  con- 
stitution of  man,  to  be  exercised  according  to  his  exi- 
gencies and  the  objects  which  engross  his  attention. 
Thus  as  the  Greeks  and  Romans  emerged  from  ignor- 
ance and  barbarism  to  civilization  and  refinement,  and 
with  the  progress  of  their  military  conquests,  advanced 
in  commerce  and  arts,  in  literature  and  science,  and  in 
wealth  and  luxury,  their  objects  of  thought  were  vastly 
multiplied,  and  their  language  was  proportionably  en- 


220  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

riched  with  new  formed  and  ajDpropriate  words.  When 
the  Pagan  nations  of  the  Roman  empire  were  first 
taught  the  knowledge  of  Christianity,  the  adoption  of 
its  peculiar  words,  for  which  they  had  no  equivalents, 
or  the  formation  of  new  ones,  in  their  place,  was  indis- 
pensable to  their  reception  and  expression  of  its 
thoughts.  And  in  modern  times,  the  discoveries  and 
culture  of  new  sciences  and  arts — as  chemistry,  geology, 
electricity,  the  use  of  steam — demanded  new  words  for 
new  thoughts,  concerning  objects,  relations,  and  agencies 
which  were  before  unknown.  The  supply  of  such  de- 
mand, is  a  necessity ;  and  results  from  man's  intellectual 
and  physical  organization,  his  endowments  and  exigen- 
cies as  a  rational  being,  as  his  seeing  new  objects  results 
from  their  exposure,  under  appropriate  conditions,  to 
his  faculty  of  vision. 

Without  such  exigencies  and  stimulants,  man,  as 
history  testifies  of  the  Egyptians,  the  Persians,  Greeks, 
and  other  once  cultivated  nations,  degenerates  in  all 
respects,  and  as  he  declines  in  respect  to  the  objects  of 
his  attention  and  pursuit,  his  thoughts  decline,  and  the 
words  in  which  they  were  conceived  and  expressed  are 
dropped  and  forgotten  ;  and  if  the  vocal  articulation  of 
his  words  is  not  essentially  changed,  his  retained  and 
current  language  becomes  meagre  and  debased. 

In  a  quiet  and  stationary  condition  of  things  among 
a  people  whose  language  is  already  cultivated  and 
affluent,  scarcely  any  thing  is  more  difficult  than  to  in- 
troduce and  give  currency  and  authority  to  new  words 
in  place  of  those  already  sanctioned  by  good  usage ; 
and  for  the  reason  that  no  exigency  is  felt  to  de- 
mand it. 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  221 

Language  is,  in  respect  to  the  articulation,  pronun- 
ciation, orthography,  and  signification  of  words  at  any 
given  period,  just  what  is  taught  at  that  period,  to 
those  who  speak  and  write  it.  It  is  an  acquisition ; 
and  as  entirely  the  effect  of  instruction  and  study  to 
one  as  another.  All  alike  must  learn  the  alphabet,  the 
syllables,  the  vocal  expression,  pronunciation,  spelling, 
signification,  reading.  As  they  learn  these  things, 
they  learn  the  thoughts  signified  by  the  words  which 
they  spell,  pronounce,  and  read.  The  thoughts  and 
words  are  thus  associated  and  remembered  together. 
New  thoughts  are  learnt  as  the  signification  of  new 
words.  As  the  stock  of  remembered  thoughts  and 
words  is  augmented,  the  power  of  voluntary  thought 
is  enlarged  so  as  ever  to  be  coextensive  with  the  pre- 
viously acquired  knowledge  of  words. 

Hence  if  the  teaching  is  not  in  all  respects  essentially 
the  same  at  one  period  as  at  another,  the  result  will  bo 
manifest  in  the  improved  or  the  degenerated  state  of 
the  language.  Thus  the  English  language  has  been 
greatly  changed  and  improved  in  all  respects,  since. 
Danish,  Swedish,  German,  French,  Spanish,  Latin, 
Greek,  and  other  foreign  words  first  began  to  be  en- 
grafted upon  the  original  Saxon  basis ;  while  the  Saxon 
words  of  the  present  vocabulary,  which  were  at  first 
and  still  are  sufficient  for  the  thoughts  then  and  now 
expressed  by  them,  have  been  unproved  in  orthography 
and  pronunciation.  Nearly  one  third  of  the  whole 
number  of  words  which  now  compose  the  language, 
are  Saxon.  They  comprise  the  words  in  common  use 
relating  to  visible  and  sensible  objects,  to  sensations  and 
emotions,  to  families,  homes,  employments,  wants,  rela- 


222  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

tions,  and  duties  of  religious,  social,  and  practical  life. 
Hence  in  our  version  of  the  Scriptures  from  the  nature 
of  the  things  referred  to,  most  of  the  words  are  Saxon  ; 
and  being  largely  monosyllabic,  and  for  the  most  part 
euphonious,  and  by  their  form  and  usage  remarkably 
expressive  and  adapted  perfectly  to  convey  the 
thoughts  of  the  original  text,  they  can  not  by  a  new 
English  version,  be  replaced,  to  any  considerable  ex- 
tent, by  other  Saxon  words,  or  by  Anglicised  words  en- 
grafted from  foreign  tongues.  Few  of  the  ingrafts,  in- 
deed, relate  to  the  same  things  and  express  the  same 
thoughts  as  the  Saxon  words,  and  therefore  the  latter 
retain  their  place  in  common  use ;  and  before  a  new 
version  can  dispense  with  them  and  substitute  others,  a 
corresponding  vocabulary  of  new  and  synonymous 
words  must  be  adopted,  preferred,  and  established  by 
usage,  in  place  of  the  now  sufficient,  expressive,  and 
unrivalled  Saxon. 

The  question  whether  a  word  is  the  synonym — has 
the  same  signification — of  another,  depends  wholly 
upon  the  prior  question,  Whether  as  used  upon  the 
same  subject,  in  the  same  connection,  and  in  the  same 
prosaic,  poetical,  learned,  or  colloquial  style,  it  con- 
veys precisely  the  same  thought.  With  this  question 
etymology  can  have  nothing  whatever  to  do.  It  is 
simply  a  question  of  fact  as  to  usage.  Etymology  may 
or  may  not  be  in  accordance  with  usage ;  it  can  not 
govern  the  use  of  words,  any  more  than  it  can  originate 
and  determine  the  thoughts  to  be  expressed.  A  trans- 
lator to  do  justice  to  his  author  by  his  version,  must 
convey  his  author's  thoughts  in  words  which  as  clearly 
express  them,  as  the  words  employed  by  the  author  him- 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  223 

self.  He  must  therefore  clearly  conceive  the  thoughts 
in  the  words  of  the  original  and  in  the  words  in  width 
he  expresses  them,  and  must  therefore  understand  the 
words  of  the  original  as  the  author  understood  and 
used  them,  and  must  understand  the  words  which  he 
substitutes  in  the  sense  prescribed  by  usage  as  the  au- 
thor himself  would  do,  were  he  to  translate  his  own 
work,  and  express  his  own  recorded  thoughts  in  the 
words  of  another  tongue. 

Without  pursuing  the  illustrations  which  these  brief 
suggestions  invite,  it  may  suffice  to  notice,  as  bearing 
directly  upon  our  theme,  the  manner  in  which  inspired 
words  of  the  first  importance,  have,  in  some  quarters, 
been  perverted,  and  in  others,  have  passed  into  desu- 
etude and  oblivion :  namely,  by  a  change  in  men's 
thoughts,  induced  by  the  adoption  of  philosophical, 
mctapl^sical,  or  other  speculations,  theories,  heresies, 
and  errors,  in  derogation  of  the  words  of  Scripture, 
and  in  opposition  to  their  meaning. 

Thus  the  words,  impute,  imputed,  imputation,  which, 
with  reference  to  the  doctrine  of  Justification,  represent, 
as  used  in  Scripture,  the  same  thoughts  in  the  same 
relations,  which  they  represent  in  the  Westminster 
Catechisms  and  Confessions,  where  they  are  of  the  most 
prominent  and  vital  importance.  Yet,  who  does  not 
know  that  in  some  quarters,  many  of  the  churches  and 
their  teachers,  whose  ancestors  held  to  those  and  to  all 
the  scriptural  words  of  those  formularies,  and  who 
themselves  retain  the  Assembly's  Catechism  as  the 
symbol  of  their  faith — the  use  of  these  words  is  repu- 
diated by  some,  and  perverted  by  others  ? — their  thoughts 
concerning  justification  having  been  changed  by  their 


224  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

theories  and  speculations,  from  those  conveyed  by  the 
concise  and  simple  words  of  Scripture,  to  such  as,  in 
their  view,  explain  the  mode  of  what  they  suppose  to 
be  meant  by  justification.  Some  repudiate  these  words 
as  implying  a  transfer  of  personal  qualities  and  cha- 
racter ;  some  because  they  do  not  imply  an  infusion  of 
righteousness,  or  include  the  act  of  believing,  or  any 
acts  of  obedience  in  the  righteousness  by  which  men 
are  justified.  Others,  again,  conceive  of  justification 
not  as  simply  a  gracious  act  on  the  part  of  God,  but  as 
a  work  wrought  in  those  who  are  justified,  which  they 
confound  with  sanctification. 

All  these  extraneous  and  speculative  notions,  are  in- 
compatible with  the  verbal  Scripture  doctrine  of  justi- 
fication, "  wherein  God  imputes  the  righteousness  of 
Christ  to  sinners,  reckons  His  perfect  obedience  and 
satisfaction  to  their  account,  and,  pardoning  their  sins, 
accepts  and  accounts  their  persons  righteous  in  His 
sight ;  they  cordially  receiving  and  resting  on  Christ 
and  His  righteousness  by  faith."  Those,  therefore, 
who  adopt  these  notions,  reject  the  thoughts  con 
veyed  by  the  words  in  question,  and  with  them,  repu- 
diate the  words  ;  and  to  be  consistent,  rej  ect  the  thoughts 
conveyed  by  other  allied  or  collateral  words  of  Scrip- 
ture relating  to  the  fall  of  man  and  the  imputation  of 
guilt  to  his  descendants,  etc.,  and  with  them  repudiate 
or  pervert  such  other  words.  And  in  this  manner,  all 
defections,  heresies,  and  controversies,  begin  with  new 
thoughts,  and  a  use  of  corresponding  words,  and  a  re- 
nunciation of  their  former  thoughts  with  the  words 
which  were  their  medium  and  instrument. 

So  with  respect  to  those  who  from  the  earliest  in- 


OP  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  225 

structions  imparted  to  them,  received  and  adopted  false 
sentiments,  whether  concerning  religion  or  any  other 
subject.  The  words,  or  the  perverted  use  of  the  words 
in  which  their  erroneous  thoughts  are  conceived  and 
expressed,  must  be  renounced  or  rectified,  if  their  er- 
roneous sentiments  are  ever  renounced,  and  correct 
ones  adopted.  Men  learn  what  they  are  taught,  whe- 
ther it  be  true  or  false,  by  receiving  and  adopting  as 
their  own,  the  thoughts  of  their  teachers,  in  the  words 
by  which  they  express  them.  The  words  and  thoughts 
adhere  together.  As  remembered,  they  are  identical. 
To  uproot,  dislodge,  and  replace  them  with  others,  is 
difficult,  as  all  experience  shows,  in  proportion  as  the 
subjects  to  which  they  relate,  are  deemed  to  be  im- 
portant. 

How  strikingly  is  this  illustrated  in  the  case  of  the 
Jews,  as  disclosed  in  the  New  Testament  Scriptures,  and 
in  their  history  down  to  the  present  day  I  They  had 
adopted  false  notions  concerning  the  Person,  character, 
offices,  works,  and  kingdom  of  the  Messiah,  and  equal- 
ly concerning  the  teachings  of  the  law  and  the  pro- 
phets, the  import  of  the  Levitical  institutions,  and  their 
own  character  and  responsibilities.  The  defection  was 
all  but  universal.  They  scarcely  used  any  of  the  words 
of  their  own  Scriptures  to  express  the  thoughts  which 
they  were  inspired  to  convey.  They  made  void  the 
Law  by  their  traditions,  and  by  the  glosses  and  per- 
versions of  the  Eabbies.  And  so  inveterate  was  their 
adherence  to  their  unscriptural  notions,  and  to  the  per- 
verted use  of  scriptural  words  by  which  they  expressed 
them,  that  no  appeals  to  their  understandings  and  con- 
sciences, no  quotations  from  their  sacred  books,  nor 

10* 


226  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

any  exhibitions  of  miraculous  jjower,  had  any  effect 
to  correct  their  understandings  and  change  their 
thoughts.  They  seemed  not  to  comprehend  the  plain- 
est things  which  were  spoken  to  them  by  Christ  Him- 
self. "  Why  do  ye  not  understand  My  speech  ?  even 
because  ye  can  not  hear  My  word ;"  that  is,  will  not 
understand  and  receive  My  testimony  ;  will  not  receive 
My  thoughts  in  place  of  your  own.  The  false  con- 
structions, traditions,  and  perversions  of  that  period, 
survived  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  cala- 
mities and  persecutions  of  the  Jewish  people  among  all 
nations,  and  are  cherished  by  them  to  the  present  day. 
The  false  and  perverse  uses  of  words  in  establishing 
and  perpetuating  the  delusions,  impostures,  and  here- 
sies of  the  Mohammedan  and  the  Romish  systems,  are 
no  less  conspicuous.  Time  has  not  cured  them.  No 
learning,  philosophy,  philology,  or  criticism,  has  had 
any  effect  to  rectify  them.  The  fulfillment  of  particu- 
lar prophecies  .has  failed  to  modify  or  correct  them ; 
for  being  fixed  and  sustained  in  their  minds  by  their 
false  notions  of  language  and  of  the  things  which  they 
imagine  to  be  represented  by  the  words  of  Scripture  as 
they  employ  them,  Mohammedans  and  Romanists,  like 
the  Jews  who  still  adhere  to  their  ancient  and  heredi- 
tary constructions,  can  no  more  understand  a  prophecy 
after,  than  before  its  fulfillment.  Their  thoughts  being 
wrong,  their  words,  of  course,  perfectly  correspond  to 
them  ;  and  until  their  thoughts  are  changed,  their  per- 
verted use  of  words  will  maintain  its  resistless  sway. 

Up  to  the  present  hour,  notwithstanding  all  that  has 
been  done  in  the  names  of  philology,  criticism,  and 
the  philosophy  of  language,  the  leading  themes  of  con- 


OF   THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  227 

troversy  concerning  theological  questions,  and  espe- 
cially those  which  depend  on  the  prophetic  portions  of 
the  Scriptures,  are  treated  by  the  vast  majority,  as 
though  the  construction  of  figurative  language  and  of 
symbols  was  to  be  governed  by  no  fixed  and  certain 
rules  whatever  ;  as  though  the  preconceived  theory  of 
each  writer  was  his  rule  ;  and  as  though  each  man  was 
at  perfect  liberty,  not  only  to  use  the  words  of  Scrip- 
ture so  as  to  support  his  peculiar  theor}',  but  also  at 
liberty  to  treat  all  the  words  and  the  persons,  acts  and 
events  to  which  they  relate,  as  allegorical,  typical,  or 
figurative,  according  to  the  demands  of  his  speculation. 
Such  assumptions  and  liberties  are  not  adventured,  and 
would  not  be  tolerated  in  relation  to  secular  subjects. 
They  are  taken  and  allowed  only  with  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures ;  and  they  evidently  proceed  on  the  assumptions, 
that  language  is  in  its  nature,  imperfect,  changeable, 
and  uncertain ;  that  inspiration  does  not  and  can  not 
transcend  these  defects ;  and  that  nothing  more  is  meant 
by  inspiration  itself,  than  such  superintendence,  eleva- 
tion, and  suggestion,  as  left  the  fallible  writers  to  choose 
out  of  their  own  vocabulary  of  imperfect  words,  such 
as  were  most  in  accordance  with  their  degree  of  know- 
ledge and  judgment.  Hence,  omitting  particular  refer- 
ence to  the  inconsistent  doctrines  and  beliefs  of  the 
different  religious  communities  and  sects ;  the  specta- 
cle of  conflicting  theories  and  commentaries  concern- 
ing the  millennium,  and  whether  it  be  past,  or  yet 
future,  the  restoration  of  the  Jewish  people,  and  vari- 
ous other  subjects  of  prophetic  revelation  :  insomuch 
that  even  the  ablest  and  most  learned  men  sit  down 
in  despair  of  arriving  at  any  certainty,   or  content 


228  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

themselves  with  conjectures  corresponding  with  their 
preconceived  theories,  and  with  their  philosophical  and 
philological  systems.  That  out  of  the  millions  who 
bear  the  Christian  name,  all  do  not  take  this  course 
with  respect  to  the  doctrines  which  are  essential  to  sal- 
vation, is  owing,  doubtless,  to  spiritual  illuminations 
and  convictions,  which  affect  and  guide  their  con- 
sciences, and  grace  which  rectifies  their  hearts  and 
wills  ;  and,  in  those  who  are  not  thus  changed,  is  owing 
to  the  instructions  which  they  receive,  and  the  form- 
ularies of  doctrine  which  they  adopt.  But  with  respect 
to  other  scriptural  subjects  than  these  essential  doc- 
trines, even  this  class  equally  with  the  sects  and  mul- 
titudes who  reject  or  pervert  those  essential  doctrines, 
are  at  a  non  plus,  or  in  doubt  and  uncertainty  as  to 
what  the  Scriptures  teach ;  owing  wholly,  or  mostly, 
it  must  be  concluded,  to  the  notions  which  they  cherish 
concerning  the  origin  and  office  of  language,  and  the 
nature,  authority,  and  purpose  of  Divine  inspiration. 

The  bearings  of  the  doctrine  of  plenary  verbal  in- 
spiration on  the  method  of  teaching  Theology,  and 
on  preaching,  are  obvious.  Scriptural  Theology  con- 
sists in  a  correct  understanding  of  the  meaning  of  the 
inspired  words  of  Scripture  in  the  connections  in  which 
they  are  written,  concerning  the  existence,  character, 
and  attributes  of  God,  His  purposes,  covenants,  laws, 
and  government,  the  doctrines  we  are  to  believe,  and 
the  duties  we  are  to  perform.  All  that  we  can  truly 
know  or  safely  teach  concerning  these  things,  is  ex- 
pressed in  those  inspired  words,  or  infallibly  deduci- 
ble  from  them ;  and,  therefore,  they  were  inspired  and 
written,  and   are  of  Divine  authority  and  infallible. 


OF   THE  HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  229 

The j  express  God's  thoughts  in  words  spoken  and  in- 
spired by  Him.  To  teach  their  meaning,  is  the  first 
and  principal  duty  of  the  Theological  instructor.  To 
learn,  meditate,  remember,  and  cleave  to  their  meaning 
as  to  life,  is  the  essential  duty  of  the  student.  If  he 
fails  in  that,  whatever  else  he  may  learn,  he  fails  in  the 
one  thing  needful — the  knowledge  of  immutable  truth, 
the  Theology  of  the  Bible,  the  Word  of  God. 

Definitions,  catechisms,  and  text  books,  are  therefore 
of  the  first  necessity  in  teaching  Scriptural  Theology. 
They  are  to  the  student,  what  spelling-books  and  lex- 
icons are  to  the  school  boy ;  helps  to  the  meaning  of 
the  words,  which  express  what  we  are  to  understand, 
believe,  and  do. 

Accordingly  the  history  of  the  Church  may  be  con- 
fidently appealed  to  as  showing,  that  in  proportion  as 
this  method  has  been  departed  from,  doctrinal  errors 
and  practical  heresies  have  prevailed.  All  departures 
from  this  method  proceed  upon  some  false  theory. 
Those  which  attempt  to  subject  the  Theology  of  the 
Bible  to  the  rules  of  human  science,  and  those  which 
construe  it  by  the  teachings  of  philosophy  and  science 
falsely  so  called,  or  by  any  pantheistic  or  other  theory 
of  human  wisdom,  are  most  conspicuous  and  prolific 
of  evil. 

In  like  manner,  it  is  the  office  and  business  of  the 
minister,  to  preach  the  Word — the  inspired  word  of 
God ;  not  in  the  words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  in  the 
authoritative  and  infallible  words  of  Scripture.  All 
the  examples  and  injunctions  recorded  in  the  sacred 
oracles,  are  to  this  effect ;  and  for  the  plain  reason  that 
those  words  are  of  Divine  authority,  and  it  is  the  truth 


230  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

as  expressed  in  tliem,  that  the  Hoty  Spirit  makes  effect- 
ual in  the  conviction,  conversion,  and  salvation  of  men 
through  faith.  It  is  not  only  truth  alone  which  lie 
employs,  but  the  Truth,  as  it  is  expressed  in  the  words 
which  He  inspired,  and  in  equivalent  words  of  trans- 
lations. Hence  the  Saviour's  prayer  :  "  Sanctify  them 
through  Thy  truth  ;  Thy  word  is  truth."  "  The  sword 
of  the  Spirit  is  the  word  of  God. — The  entrance  of  Thy 
word  giveth  light. — The  Word  of  the  Lord  endureth 
forever. — And  this  is  the  word  which  by  the  Gospel  is 
preached  unto  you." 

In  philosophy,  logic,  mathematics,  chemistry,  and 
other  sciences,  a  careful  and  thorough  study  of  names, 
verbal  definitions,  axioms,  rules,  and  principles,  is  in- 
dispensable. No  progress  whatever  can  be  made  with- 
out it.  So  in  morals  and  theology.  What  would  be 
thought  of  the  man  who  should  pretend  to  understand 
and  expound  the  ethics  of  Aristotle,  or  those  of  any 
other  author,  without  first  possessing  himself  of  the 
thoughts  expressed  in  the  root  words,  terms,  and  defini 
tions  of  the  system  ?  But  this  preliminary  process  is 
as  much  more  necessary  in  theology  as  the  subject  is 
more  important.  And  we  are  accordingly  furnished 
in  the  inspired  words  of  Scripture,  with  an  indubitable 
basis  of  certainty.  The  words,  the  root  terms  and 
phrases,  the  formulas,  the  commands,  the  affirmations, 
the  negations,  express  thoughts  which  change  not,  and 
which  no  thoughts  or  theories  of  man  can  abrogate. 
Those  infallible  thoughts  are  everywhere  consistent ; 
and  though  the  chiefest  of  them  are  interspersed  in 
narratives,  biographies,  and  predictions,  they  form  a 
connected  chain  of  first  truths  which  constitute  tlieo- 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  231 

logy.  To  learn,  understand,  and  think  those  thoughts, 
so  that  they  shall  as  truly  be  the  thoughts  of  the  learn- 
er as  they  were  by  inspiration  the  thoughts  of  the  writ- 
ers, is  to  learn  and  be  qualified  to  expound  theology. 
Without  such  learning,  no  man  is  any  better  qualified 
to  teach  or  preach  theology,  than  to  expound  the  civil 
code,  the  doctrines  of  philosophy,  the  institutes  of  me- 
dicine, the  theorems  of  geometry,  or  the  principles  of 
any  science,  while  ignorant  of  their  fundamental  max- 
ims, definitions,  and  technical  terms.  Both  teacher 
and  learner  may  take  much  for  granted,  and  hang  their 
faith  loosely  on  the  sleeves  of  others  ;  but  the  thoughts 
conveyed  in  the  words  of  Scripture,  will  not  be  theirs, 
and  "abide  in  them,"  (John  15  :  4-8,)  "the  ingrafted 
word,"  (James  1 :  21,)  in  a  way  to  make  them  conscious 
of  them  as  their  thoughts.  It  is  irrelevant  and  in  vain 
to  say  that  the  necessity  of  such  learning  may  be  obvi- 
ated in  teachers  and  people  by  their  being  divinely 
illuminated  and  taught  of  God.  For  men  are  taught 
of  God,  not  by  new  revelations  or  renewed  inspirations ; 
but  only  by  means  of  the  inspired  words  of  Scripture. 
They  are  the  instruments  of  illumination,  spiritual  dis- 
cernment, sanctification,  faith  ;  and  for  the  teaching  of 
them,  transferring  them  into  the  minds  of  hearers,  so 
that  the  Spirit  may  employ  them  as  instruments,  God 
hath  instituted  the  ministry  of  the  word. 

The  Scriptures  are  comprehensively  a  testimony,  to 
be  believed  and  obeyed.  "  Set  your  hearts  unto  all  the 
words  which  I  testify  among  you  this  day,  which  ye 
shall  command  your  children  to  observe  to  do  all  the 
words  of  this  law."  (Deut.  32.)  "The  ministry  which 
I  have  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the  Gospel 


232  TEH  PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

of  the  grace  of  God."  (Acts  24.)  "  When  they  had 
testified  and  preached  the  word  of  the  Lord."  (Acts  8.) 
"  There  is  one  God,  and  one  Mediator  between  God 
and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  who  gave  Himself  a 
ransom  for  all,  to  be  testified  in  due  time."  (1  Tim.  2.) 
"Testifying  both  to  the  Jews  and  also  to  the  Greeks, 
repentance  toward  God  and  faith  toward  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  (Acts  20.)  "I  came  declaring  unto 
you  the  testimony  of  God."  (1  Cor.  2.)  "  John  bare 
record  of  the  word  of  God,  and  of  the  testimony  of 
Jesus  Christ."  (Rev.  1  :  2.)  "  The  testimony  of  Jesus 
is  the  spirit  of  prophecy."  (Rev.  19.)  "  Blessed  are 
they  that  keep  His  testimonies.  Concerning  Thy  testi- 
monies, I  have  known  of  old  that  Thou  hast  founded 
them  forever."     (Ps.  119.) 

Now  it  was  because  they  testified,  and  steadfastly  ad- 
hered to,  the  infallible  words  of  Scripture,  that  the 
prophets,  apostles,  and  martyrs  were  persecuted  and 
slain.  They  unresistingly  suffered  torments  and  death 
rather  than  deny  or  swerve  from  the  words  of  Scrip- 
ture. "  They  were  slain  for  the  word  of  God,  and  for  the 
testimony  which  they  held."  (Rev.  6.)  And  the  like 
is  yet  to  happen.  "  The  Gospel  of  the  Kingdom  shall 
be  preached  in  all  the  world  for  a  witness  unto  all 
nations ;  and  then  shall  the  end  come."  (Matt.  24.)  In 
the  vision  of  that  period,  John  "  saw  the  souls  of  them 
that  were  beheaded  for  the  witness  of  Jesus  and  for  the 
word  of  God,  and  which  had  not  worshipped  the 
beast."  (Rev.  20.)  "  "When  the  witnesses  shall  have 
finished  their  testimony,  the  beast  that  ascendeth  out 
of  the  bottomless  pit  shall  make  war  against  them,  and 
shall  overcome  them,  and  kill  them." 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  233 

The  fact  that  under  the  ancient  and  present  dispens- 
ations, hundreds  and  thousands  of  the  most  enlight- 
ened and  holiest  of  men  have,  from  the  hands  of  the 
worst,  suffered  the  greatest  torments,  and  death  itself, 
in  testimony  of  their  faith  in  the  word  of  God,  demon- 
strates that  His  word  is  infallible,  and  "liveth  and 
abideth  forever."  No  higher  evidence  could  be  ex- 
hibited to  us  that  He  who  inspired  the  words  of  Scrip- 
ture will  maintain  and  vindicate  them ;  and  that  those 
who  receive  them  as  His  words,  and  believe  and  obey 
them,  will  adhere  to  them  even  unto  death. 

It  is  perhaps  less  frequently  expressed  than  it  is  felt 
to  be  a  disadvantage,  that  the  Protestant  denominations 
did  not  all  retain  a  liturgical  service,  so  far  at  least,  as 
to  provide  for  a  reading  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  public 
assemblies  weekly  in  such  portions,  or  lessons,  as  to 
comprise  the  whole  periodically  ;  the  congregation  with 
Bibles  in  their  hands,  at  the  same  time  silently  reading 
what  the  minister  audibly  pronounced,  and  listening  at 
intervals  to  his  exposition  of  particular  passages,  and 
definition  of  particular  words.  This  method  is  recom- 
mended not  only  by  its  social  influence  and  its  relation 
to  the  responsibilities  of  the  people,  but  still  more  as 
giving  to  the  Inspired  Word  the  prominence  due  to  it 
in  the  devotions  of  the  Church.  Its  propriety  is  obvi- 
ous. It  is  fully  sanctioned  by  the  usage  of  the  Jewish 
Church  in  the  synagogue  assemblies.  It  tends  to  fix 
the  attention  and  to  bring  the  minds  of  those  assembled 
into  immediate  contact  with  all  the  words  of  God;  and 
affords  a  most  needful  opportunity  for  appropriate  eluci- 
dations and  definitions,  for  the  lack  of  which  many, 
perhaps  most  of  the  members  of  congregations,  gene 


234  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

rally  remain  through  life  without  acquiring  any  clear 
idea  of  the  meaning  of  the  most  important  words 
of  Scripture.  The  defect  has  in  part  been  supplied  in 
the  Scottish  Church,  by  catechetical  and  expository 
exercises.  But  on  this  side  of  the  water,  at  least,  it 
exists  without  abatement,  and  owing  perhaps  to  the 
engrossing  cares  and  the  peculiar  circumstances,  and 
the  mental  as  well  as  social  habits  of  the  people,  is  be- 
coming more  and  more  apparent.  The  systematic 
reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  which  forms  so  con- 
spicuous a  feature  in  the  services  of  the  Episcopal 
churches,  can  neither  be  witnessed  nor  contemplated 
without  a  decided  conviction  of  its  propriety  and  of  its 
practical  utility.  It  is  read  as  the  authoritative  word 
of  God,  and  as  challenging  consent  and  self-application 
on  the  part  of  the  hearer — the  voice  of  God  to  the 
people  assembled  to  hear  it. 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTUKES.  235 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE  ENGLISH  VERSION  OF  THE  SCRIPTURES. 

Our  English  Bible  is  generally  accounted  the  best 
version  of  the  original  texts  that  has  ever  been  accom- 
plished. For  this,  two  principal  reasons  may  be  sug- 
gested. First.  The  English  language  is  regarded  as 
more  copious  in  words,  and  especially  of  such  words  as 
are  required  in  the  translation,  than  any  other  tongue. 
Second.  The  authors  of  the  version  in  common  use,  not 
only  had  the  advantage  of  the  labors  of  several  earlier 
English  translations,  but  they  were  themselves  well 
versed  in  the  knowledge  of  the  original  tongues,  as 
well  as  of  their  own,  and,  what  is  not  less  important, 
were  sound  in  doctrine  and  distinguished  for  their 
personal  faith  and  holiness.  No  higher  evidence  could 
well  exist  of  the  ability  and  fidelity  of  their  labors, 
than  the  fact  that  their  version  superseded  those  which 
preceded  it,  and  that  it  has  maintained  its  hold  on  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  all  classes  and  denominations 
of  men  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  for  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years.  As  a  whole,  and  in  respect  to  the  essen- 
tial qualities  of  a  version,  no  unbiased  and  competent 
judge  believes  it  susceptible  of  material  improvement. 


236  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

Its  defects  are  such  as  are  incident  to  every  living 
tongue  in  the  course  of  so  long  a  period,  such  as  arise 
from  grammatical  usage,  from  the  obsoleteness  of  some 
words,  a  change  of  meaning  in  the  use  of  others,  and  a 
demand  for  euphemisms  in  the  place  of  certain  words 
and  phrases. 

The  authors  of  that  version  so  apprehended  and  re- 
ceived the  thoughts  conveyed  in  the  original  words,  as 
to  conceive  them  in  equivalent  English  words  in  cor- 
responding collocations.  Of  this  there  are  two  very 
sufficient  evidences.  First.  That  of  their  character  as 
holy  men,  spiritually  enlightened,  taught  of  God. 
Second.  The  fact  that  the  holiest  men  who  have  suc- 
ceeded them,  and  who  have  most  thoroughly  compared 
their  version  with  the  originals,  have,  with  one  voice, 
borne  testimony  to  the  fidelity  of  the  translation :  in- 
somuch, that  while  it  might  be  easy  in  some  cases  to 
suggest  in  place  of  the  words  adopted  by  the  translators, 
other  words  of  equal,  and  in  some  instances  of  superior 
fitness,  every  man  competent  to  compare  the  originals 
with  the  English,  may  safely  be  challenged  to  point 
out  any  passage  in  which  any  important  fact  or  doc- 
trine is  expressed,  which  would  be  materially  improved 
by  a  substitution  of  new  words.  The  instances  in 
which  improvement  might  appear  to  be  most  practica- 
ble, where  any  fact  or  doctrine  is  concerned,  are  not 
such  as  affect  any  denominational  question  between 
those  who  receive  the  Bible  as  the  supreme  rule  of 
faith  and  practice.  They  are  instances  in  which, 
owing  probably  to  the  prevalence  of  Eabbinical  con- 
structions on  some  points  afc  the  period  of  the  ver- 
sion, the  import  of  certain  words  in  some  connections 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCKIPTURES.  237 

failed  to  be  apprehended,  while  the  import  of  the 
same  words  in  other  connections  was  perfectly  ex- 
pressed. Thus  some  Hebrew  words  and  phrases, 
which,  either  from  their  connections,  or  from  citations 
of  them  in  the  New  Testament,  appear  to  have  been 
employed  as  official  designations  of  the  Messiah,  were 
not  in  every  instance  so  regarded,  or  were  so  rendered 
as  to  make  their  reference  less  significant  and  conspicu- 
ous than  it  might  be.  Of  these  the  word  translated 
angel  is  an  instance;  which  frequently  occurs  as  a 
name  of  office  equivalent  to  messenger,  and  is  employed 
interchangeably  with  the  name  Jehovah.  Compare 
Exod.  3 :  2,4 ;  14  :  19,  24,  26 ;  20  :  2  ;  Judges  2:1-3; 
6  :  12,  22,  etc.,  with  Malachi  3:1;  Acts  7  :  38. 

The  language  of  the  present  version  is  so  generally 
correct  and  perspicuous,  so  well  adapted  to  the  subjects, 
and  so  faithful  a  counterpart  of  the  original,  as  abso- 
lutely to  preclude  the  production  and  reception  of  a 
different  version  in  Anglo-Saxon  words.  The  slight 
amendments  above  mentioned,  however,  with  refer- 
ence to  obsolete  words,  and  words  of  which  time  has 
changed  the  significance  or  propriety,  might  be  per- 
mitted not  only  without  injury,  but  with  advantage. 
They  would  involve  no  greater  responsibility  than 
marginal  readings  and  explanatory  notes. 

Considering  the  version  as  established  by  its  intrinsic 
excellence,  and  by  the  verdict  of  time,  a  somewhat 
different  arrangement  of  its  contents  is  desirable,  after 
the  manner  of  Townshend's  Edition,  founded  on  Light- 
foot's  Chronicle;  by  distributing  the  contents  into 
paragraphs  instead  of  chapters ;  arranging  them  more 
nearly  in  chronological  succession ;  disposing  the  poeti- 


238  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

cal  portions  in  parallelisms;  and  distinguishing  the 
words  recorded  as  having  been  spoken,  by  marks  of 
quotation.  The  advantages  of  such  an  arrangement 
to  every  class  of  readers  can  hardly  fail  to  be  obvious. 
It  would  render  the  book  more  readable  and  more  in- 
telligible ;  and  there  can  be  no  valid  objection  to  it 
any  more  than  to  summaries  of  contents,  marginal 
references,  and  explanatory  notes,  or  to  perfection  in 
paper  and  typography. 

The  recent  collation,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Managers  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  of  different 
editions  of  the  English  Bible,  and  production  of  a 
text  as  nearly  as  possible  like  that  of  the  transla- 
tors of  1611,  deserves  the  emphatic  and  grateful 
commendation  of  the  Society  and  of  all  good  men. 
They  have,  under  the  guidance  of  appropriate  rules, 
corrected  the  typographical  and  other  variations  from 
the  earliest  standard  edition,  and  reproduced  what, 
properly  understood,  is  "  the  Authorized  Version."  In 
the  brief  and  modest  Report  of  the  Committee  to 
whom  this  arduous  and  responsible  duty  was  referred, 
the  necessity  of  the  collation  is  sufficiently  exhibited ; 
and  whether  we  consider  the  obligation  imposed  upon 
the  Managers  by  the  Constitution — which  requires 
them  to  publish  in  English  only  the  Authorized  Ver- 
sion— that  of  1611 — or  consider  the  established  catholic, 
conservative,  and  consistent  character  of  the  Society — 
which  commands  the  confidence  equally  of  all  denomi- 
nations— the  collation,  which  they  have  accomplished, 
must  be  acknowledged  to  have  been  an  imperative  and 
in  all  respects,  an  appropriate  duty.  If  any  thing, 
relating  to  the  important  service  which  they  have  ren- 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  239 

dered,  challenges  regret,  it  is,  that  the  only  public  and 
responsible  organization  in  this  hemisphere,  that  could 
with  propriety  and  with  assured  confidence,  undertake 
such  a  service,  had  not  been  authorized  to  extend  the 
revision  to  words  which  have  become  obsolete,  and 
words  in  place  of  which  usage  and  propriety  demand 
a  substitution  of  appropriate  and  inoffensive  euphem- 
isms. 


240  THE  PLENARY   INSPIRATION 


CHAPTER    XV. 

CONCLUDING  OBSERVATIONS. 

On  the  foregoing  view  of  the  nature  and  effects  of 
Divine  inspiration,  the  Holy  Scriptures  afford,  both  in 
matter  and  manner,  ample  ground  of  rational  convic- 
tion to  the  skeptical  and  to  all  other  classes  of  men, 
that  they  are  from  God.  Evidence  of  their  Divine 
authorship  and  authority,  is  manifest  in  every  part  of 
their  contents,  and  in  their  relations  to  the  constitution, 
condition,  and  experience  of  man ;  showing  them  to 
be  the  infallible  word  of  God,  inspired  by  Him  into 
the  minds  of  holy  men,  in  language  which  they  under- 
stood and  were  qualified  to  write. 

Hence  their  infinite  superiority  to  all  uninspired 
compositions.  In  comparison  with  them,  all  the  re- 
mains of  antiquity  relating  to  subjects  in  any  degree 
similar,  are  puerile  and  foolish.  The  world  by  its 
wisdom,  knows  not  God.  The  highest  efforts  and  at- 
tainments of  Grecian  and  Koman  sages,  exhibited  only 
groping  ignorance  and  imbecility,  in  contrast  with  the 
inspired  oracles.  The  Apocrypha,  the  spurious  gos- 
pels and  epistles,  the  Koran,  the  writings  of  Mormon, 
and  other  impostors,  the  annals  of  Idolatry,  the  specu- 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  241 

lations  of  Infidelity,  the  arrogations,  prescriptions,  and 
legends  of  the  Romish  Hierarchy,  show  what  fallen 
man  is  able  to  accomplish  in  respect  to  religious  doc- 
trines, faith,  and  practice. 

The  fact  that  the  Divine  thoughts  were  conveyed  to 
the  intelligent  consciousness  of  the  sacred  writers,  by 
inspiration  in  words,  is  in  harmony  with  the  fact  that 
we  think,  are  conscious  of  our  thoughts,  remember 
and  express  them,  and  receive  the  thoughts  of  others, 
only  in  words.  The  Divine  act  of  inspiration  is  in 
harmony  with  the  laws  of  human  thought  and  con- 
sciousness. Its  -effects  are  commensurate  to  the  wants 
both  of  the  most  ignorant  and  the  most  learned  of 
men.  They  are  realized  to  men  agreeably  to  their 
constitution  as  thinking,  voluntary,  and  accountable 
creatures.  They  coincide  with  the  consciousness  and 
experience  of  men. 

The  objects  which  the  Scriptures  are  designed  to 
answer  are  such  as  to  imply  their  verbal  inspiration. 
They  presuppose  the  existence  of  an  Almighty  Creator 
and  Ruler  of  the  world ;  that  man  is  a  rational  and 
accountable  creature ;  that  there  is  a  natural  and  a 
moral  system  of  things,  conformably  to  which  the  re- 
lations and  responsibilities  of  creatures  are  adjusted ; 
that  in  those  relations  man  is  subject  to  natural  and 
moral  laws  ;  that  he  is  a  proper  subject  of  Divine  com- 
mands, directions,  control,  and  discipline ;  and  that  in 
every  particular  he  needs  instruction  as  to  what  he 
should  believe  concerning  God,  and  what  duties  are  in- 
cumbent upon  him :  and  among  the  objects  to  be 
answered  by  them  are  : 
11 


242  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

1.  That  of  announcing  the  names  and  designations, 
the  nature,  perfections,  prerogatives,  and  rights  of 
God. 

2d.  That  of  declaring  His  counsels  and  purposes. 

8d.  That  of  showing  what  are  the  relations  and 
duties  of  men  towards  Him  and  towards  each  other. 

4th.  That  of  prescribing  the  mode  in  which  they  are 
to  worship  Him. 

5th.  That  of  prohibiting  all  acts,  feelings,  and 
thoughts  which  are  contrary  to  his  Law. 

6th.  That  of  apprising  men  of  the  existence,  agency, 
and  malice  of  Satan. 

7th.  That  of  revealing  the  Eedeemer,  His  offices  and 
acts. 

8th.  That  of  foreshowing  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  the  final  judgment,  and  the  allotments  of  the 
righteous  and  the  wicked  in  eternity. 

Now  these  objects  are  such  as  to  require  all  the  pre- 
cision and  certainty,  as  well  as  all  the  authority  with 
which  the  Scriptures  could  be  invested  by  a  verbal 
inspiration. 

The  leading  truths  of  the  Bible  imply  their  verbal 
inspiration. 

1.  Because,  being  undiscoverable  by  man,  it  was 
necessary  that  they  should  be  so  communicated  as  to 
be  clearly  and  correctly  understood.  But  they  can  be 
so  understood,  so  brought  to  his  consciousness  only  in 
words.  Such  is  undeniably  the  case  after  they  are 
written,  and  such,  as  far  as  our  consciousness  testifies, 
must  have  been  the  case  with  those  to  whom  they 
were  first  revealed.     The  fact  that  they  are  recorded 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  243 

in  words  is  evidence  that  the  first  conception  of  them 
by  the  writers  was  a  conception  of  them  in  words. 
For  they  must  have  learned  the  fact  that  any  truth  un- 
known to  them  before,  was  revealed  or  inspired  into 
thtir  minds  by  their  consciousness ;  in  order  to  which 
the  words  which  expressed  and  conveyed  the  truth, 
must  have  been  inspired. 

2.  Because  they  could  not  select  words  to  express  a 
truth  of  which  they  had  not  the  same  conception  and 
consciousness  before  as  after  the  time  when  a  selection 
would  be  necessary. 

Of  the  leading  truths  of  the  Bible,  which  imply  that 
they  must  have  been  originally  conveyed  in  words,  the 
following  are  examples. — God  is  a  Spirit,  infinite,  eter- 
nal, and  unchangeable  in  His  being,  wisdom,  power, 
holiness,  justice,  goodness,  and  truth. — God  created  the 
heavens  and  the  earth. — Christ  died  for  our  sins  and 
rose  for  our  justification. — There  will  be  a  resurrection 
of  the  dead,  both  of  the  just  and  the  unjust. — It  is  in- 
conceivable that  the  thoughts  expressed  by  these  words 
should  have  been  originally  conveyed  to  the  mind 
without  words. 

The  true  foundation  of  faith  is  not  reason  or  any 
thing  conceived  or  imagined  by  men,  but  the  testimony 
of  God.  But  that  testimony  is  known  only  in  the 
words  in  which  it  is  recorded.  These  words,  therefore, 
are  His  words.  Otherwise,  we  could  not  know  that 
they  conveyed  His  testimony.  That  which  He  testi- 
fies, asserts,  declares,  and  on  which  faith  rests,  is  that 
which  He  speaks  intelligibly  to  us — His  thoughts  ex- 
pressed,  conveyed.      As  the  testimony  of  a  human 


244  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

witness  is  known  only  as  it  is  expressed  in  words,  and 
faith  in  it  is  faith  in  the  thoughts  which  are  expressed 
and  conveyed  by  the  words,  so  in  this  case.  The 
Scriptures  accordingly  everywhere  teach  us  that  the 
patriarchs,  prophets,  and  others  believed  the  verbal  an- 
nouncements, the  verbal  promises,  the  words  of  God ; 
not  His  thoughts  abstractly  or  independently  of  words, 
not  any  conceptions  of  theirs  as  to  what  His  thoughts 
were  apart  from  the  words  in  which  they  are  written. 
The  words  which  the  Apostles  preached  were  the  words 
of  faith,  the  words  to  be  believed,  the  testimony  of 
God.  Their  hearers  were  not  left  in  any  uncertainty — 
they  were  not  to  ascend  to  heaven  above  nor  to  descend 
to  the  depths  below  to  ascertain  what  they  were  to  be- 
lieve concerning  Christ :  the  word  which  expressed  the 
testimony  on  which  their  faith  was  to  rest,  was  nigh 
them,  spoken,  written.  "What  they  had  to  do  was  to 
hear,  to  hear  the  word  of  God,  by  which  faith  cometh. 

The  Scriptures  contemplate  man  as  a  fallen,  erring 
creature.  He  who  gave  the  Scriptures  by  inspiration, 
knew  perfectly  the  nature  of  man,  as  a  fallen  creature, 
the  corruption  of  his  heart,  his  evil  propensities,  the 
temptations  to  which  he  would  be  exposed,  the  antago- 
nism of  Satan,  the  tendencies  and  effects  of  all  moral 
influence,  all  the  circumstances  in  which  he  would  be 
placed,  and  all  the  phenomena  and  issues  of  his  present 
and  future  existence.  He  therefore  inspired  at  sundry 
times,  and  in  matter  and  form,  just  what  the  case  re- 
quired under  the  administration  which  he  was  to  exer- 
cise over  the  dependent  universe,  and  the  successive 
generations  of  free  human  agents.     More  or  less,  or  at 


OF  THE   nOLY   SCRIPTURES.  245 

least,  the  permanent  record  of  more  or  less,  would  not 
have  suited  this  comprehensive  scheme.  It  would  not 
have  suited  that  part  of  the  scheme  which  relates  to 
the  free  agency  of  men,  nor  the  relations  of  that  part 
to  the  intelligences  of  the  rest  of  the  universe.  Had 
the  inhabitants  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  known  all 
that  was  given  by  revelation  and  inspiration  at  later 
periods  they  would  have  been  subject  to  an  amount  of 
moral  influence,  which,  all  the  other  influences  affect- 
ing them,  remaining  as  before,  would  have  restrained, 
modified,  and  changed  their  outward  conduct.  Had 
those  who  crucified  the  Lord  of  Glory,  known  who  He 
was  and  understood  the  nature  of  His  mission,  they 
would  in  like  manner  have  been  restrained.  So  in  re- 
spect to  the  different  orders  of  spiritual  beings,  the 
principalities  and  powers  of  the  heavenly  world,  to 
whom  it  was  the  eternal  purpose  of  God  to  make 
known  through  Jesus  Christ  His  manifold  wisdom  in 
His  administration  of  all  things  in  their  appointed  con- 
nection with  and  relation  to  the  redemption  of  the 
Church.  Had  those  things  been  communicated  to 
those  spiritual  beings  prior  to  the  events  comprised  in 
the  work  of  redemption,  or  otherwise  than  as  the 
events  occurred,  and  as  the  persons  and  agencies  of  the 
redeemed  were  manifested  and  successive  revelations 
were  made  to  them,  it  is  evident  that  the  influence  of 
such  knowledge,  and  proportionably  the  measures  of 
the  Divine  administration  towards  those  beings,  must 
have  been  quite  different  from  what  has  actually  taken 
place.  By  the  system  which  was  adopted,  they  were 
kept  in  a  continual  state  of  inquiry  and  solicitude  to 
enlarge  their  knowledge  of  God  and  of  His  purposes  as 


246  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

disclosed  by  His  progressive  administration.  They 
continued  to  be  attentive  spectators  of  events,  and  par- 
ticipated in  them  more  or  less  by  their  own  agency 
towards  the  heirs  of  salvation.  Hence  the  turning 
point  in  every  individual's  destiny,  if  saved,  being  his 
conversion,  when  they  perceive  decisive  evidence  of 
that  event  in  an  individual,  there  is  joy  in  heaven 
among  the  angels  of  God. 

If  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  the  infallible  rule  of  faith 
and  life,  then,  of  course,  they  contain  but  one  category 
of  doctrines  to  be  believed.  As  there  'can  be  but  one 
infallible  rule,  there  can  be  no  contrariety  of  doctrine 
within  that  rule.  And  as  the  doctrines  to  be  believed 
are  expressed  in  words,  the  words  must  infallibly  ex- 
press them.  The  words,  therefore,  are  of  the  same 
authority  as  the  doctrines  which  they  express.  All 
that  we  know  of  the  Bible  as  a  rule,  and  of  the  doc- 
trines comprised  in  the  rule,  we  know  by  the  words  of 
which  the  Bible  consists.  The  words  enshrine  and  ex- 
press the  doctrines.  And  if  the  doctrines  owe  their 
Divine  authority  and  infallibility  to  their  inspiration, 
so  must  the  words,  for  they  are  inseparable,  and  must 
stand  or  fall  together.  This,  in  connection  with  the 
fact  that  the  doctrines  involve  inscrutable  and  awful 
mysteries,  far  above  the  judgments  of  common-sense, 
and  beyond  the  province  of  philosophical  explanation, 
implies  that  the  words  which  express  them  were  inspired 
that  they  might  be  infallible  exponents  of  the  rule. 

To  adduce  the  judgments  of  common-sense,  or  the 
doctrines  of  speculative  science  and  philosophy,  in  op- 
position to  the  words  of  Scripture  as  they  are  employed 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  247 

to  convey  the  inspired  thoughts,  is  to  exalt  human 
above  the  Divine  wisdom,  and  to  deny  both  the  reality 
and  necessity  of  inspiration  and  revelation.  The  doc- 
trines of  Scripture  are  what  the  words  of  Scripture 
signify  them  to  be,  and  they  are  nothing,  more  or  less, 
but  that.  To  say  that  the  Scriptures  are  the  rule  of 
faith,  is  to  say  that  the  words  of  Scripture  in  the  sense 
and  connection  in  which  they  are  used,  are  the  rule ; 
for  the  words  as  written  are  the  Scriptures,  and  they 
signify,  as  written,  all  that  the  Scriptures  signify.  To 
set  the  words  aside,  to  misconstrue  them,  to  inflate  or 
enervate  their  import,  to  allege  the  exaggerations  of 
feeling  and  emotion,  the  demands  of  common-sense, 
the  discoveries  of  science,  the  ignorance  of  the  sacred 
writers,  and  the  want  of  elevation  in  their  religions 
consciousness  ;  or  by  any  other  means  to  deny  or  im- 
peach the  exclusive  authority  of  the  words  of  Scrip- 
ture, as  expressing  the  infallible  rule,  is,  in  terms,  or  in 
effect,  to  say  that  there  is  no  rule,  that  the  Scriptures 
are  in  no  sense  infallible,  that  religion  consists  in  what 
religionists  call  religious  feeling,  independently  of 
verbal  systems  and  conflicting  creeds,  and  that  all  the 
diversified  theories,  philosophies,  creeds,  and  rituals, 
are  reconcilable  and  consistent  with  each  other. 

The  Scriptures  are  the  declared  and  authenticated 
testimony  of  the  Omniscient  Creator  and  Kuler  of  men, 
as  to  what  is  truth ;  and  to  suppose  that  lie  has  given 
any  more  explicit,  more  advanced,  or  different  testi- 
mony in  the  nature  of  man,  in  the  rocks  and  fossils  of 
the  earth,  or  in  any  department  of  the  physical,  intel- 
lectual, or  moral  systems,  is  to  suppose  no  less  than 
that  He  has  given  no  explicit,  intelligible,  reliable,  and 


248  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

ultimate  testimony,  standard,  or  rule  whatever.  For 
if  the  words  of  Scripture  which  He  has  caused  to  be 
written  are  not  an  intelligible  and  conclusive  expression 
of  His  testimony,  how  can  any  of  the  manifestations 
made  in  any  of  His  other  works  be  demonstrated  or 
conceived  to  be  such  ?  If  the  Scriptures,  which  are 
designed  and  adapted  to  instruct  all  classes  and  descrip- 
tions of  men,  are  not  intelligible,  authoritative,  and 
conclusive,  who  can  believe  that  the  teachings,  on  moral 
subjects,  of  any  of  the  phenomena  of  nature,  even  to 
the  few  who  can  pretend  to  study  or  understand  them, 
are  explicit,  authoritative,  and  final  ?  The  Scriptures 
are  complete.  Nothing  is  to  be  added  to  them.  No 
condition  of  things,  no  progress  of  events,  no  new 
"  developments,"  no  possible  exigencies  of  the  fallen 
race  can  occur  for  which  they  are  not  sufficient.  But 
who  can  set  bounds  to  the  discoveries  of  practical  and 
the  deliverances  of  speculative  science  and  philosophy  ? 
And  if  in  advance,  and  therefore  in  derogation  of  the 
Scriptures,  they  teach  any  moral  or  religious  truths, 
who  can  tell  what  they  are  yet  to  disclose,  and  what 
reliance  can  be  placed  on  their  teachings,  till  the  end  of 
time  arrests  the  progress  of  discovery  and  speculation  ? 
There  is  as  wide  a  diiference  between  the  two  sources 
of  instruction,  as  there  is  between  the  Creator  and 
creatures.  The  one  is  the  immediate  act  of  God  inspir- 
ing His  thoughts  into  the  minds  of  the  sacred  penmen, 
and  causing  them  to  be  expressed  in  writing.  The 
other  is  the  self-moved  agency  and  enterprise  of  fallen 
creatures.  The  one  is  the  fountain  of  infinite  wisdom 
and  goodness.  The  other  is  the  turbid  rivulet  of  human 
intellect.     And  as  to  the  instruction  derived  from  these 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  249 

sources ;  from  one  it  is  given  in  a  medium  common  and 
accessible  to  all  mankind.  From  the  other  it  is  attain- 
able only  by  the  few  to  whom  science  and  philosophy 
are  familiar. 

The  German  critics  and  commentators,  and  their 
English  disciples  and  imitators,  under  color  of  reason 
and  philosophy,  deal  with  the  contents  of  the  Bible, 
especially  the  historical,  poetical,  aphoristic,  and  illus- 
trative portions  of  it,  as  though  they  were  inserted  at 
the  discretion  and  on  the  responsibility,  and  as  express- 
ing only  the  wisdom  and  knowledge,  such  as  it  was,  of 
the  sacred  writers.  They,  with  more  or  less  of  reserve, 
allow  that  there  are  interspersed  among  these  diversi- 
fied contents,  revelations  from  God.  But  even  the 
superhuman  truths  which  they  may  regard  as  revela- 
tions, they  do  not  conceive  of  simply  as  they  are  signi- 
fied by  the  words  of  the  text.  They  seem  to  conceive 
of  them  as  of  an  invisible  and  impalpable  essence — an 
essence  not  to  be  condensed  and  enshrined  in  such 
imperfect  and  vulgar  receptacles  as  words.  Words 
may  serve  the  purpose  of  hints,  more  or  less  significant 
of  what  those  ethereal  truths  are ;  while  reason,  phi- 
losophy, and  imagination  must  expound  those  hints. 
The  contents  being  for  the  most  part  regarded  as  merely 
of  hurnan  origin,  these  critics  labor  to  discover  the  rea- 
son or  motive  which  induced  the  writers  to  insert  them ; 
and  whenever  they  seem  to  imply  any  thing  miracu- 
lous, supernatural,  unphilosophiual,  or  improbable, 
they  ascribe  it  to  the  ignorance,  prejudice,  superstition, 
or  perverted  imagination  of  the  writer.  They  wholly 
mistake  the  matter.  The  reasons  and  motives  which 
they  assign  are  inadequate,  and  even  absurd,  when  the 
11* 


250  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

discernible  relation  and  connection  of  what  at  succes- 
sive and  widely  separated  periods  was  written  by 
Moses,  the  prophets,  and  the  apostles,  is  discovered  to  be 
harmonious  and  necessary  to  the  covenants,  the  course 
of  Divine  dispensations  in  the  administration  of  them, 
and  the  unmistakable  issues  of  the  entire  scheme  of 
Providence  and  redemption. 

The  fact  that  the  distinct  parts  of  each  successive 
book  of  Scripture  were  inspired  and  written  on  occa- 
sions which  immediately  called  for  them — the  distinct 
instructions,  exhortations,  commands,  promises,  threat- 
enings,  to  individuals,  families,  communities,  churches ; 
the  histories,  biographies,  miracles,  judgments,  deliver- 
ances ;  the  predictions  of  future  events,  and  records  of 
events  which  had  been  previously  foretold,  is  in  evi- 
dence :  1.  That  the  instruction  not  only  of  those  then 
living,  but  of  men  in  analogous  circumstances  ever 
after,  was  intended.  The  inspired  words,  being  the 
medium  of  intended  moral  influences,  were  adapted  to 
all  men  on  occasions  and  in  circumstances  in  any  de- 
gree similar  to  those  by  which  they  were  originally 
called  for.  The  words  of  God  are,  in  relation  to  His 
system  of  moral  and  spiritual  influences  and  effects 
upon  men,  like  the  ordinances  and  operations  of  His 
providence  in  the  natural  world.  Both  are  alike  ap- 
pointed, and  are  matter  of  special  dispensation  with 
reference  to  foreseen  results  in  His  government  of  the 
world.  Man's  wisdom,  volition,  and  agency,  are  not 
more  absolutely  excluded  from  all  participation  with 
His,  in  determining  the  ordinances  and  directing  the 
operations  of  His  providence,  than  they  are  from  all 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  251 

participation  in  determining  the  thoughts  to  be  ex- 
pressed in  His  word,  and  the  effects  to  be  produced  by 
it.  "For  My  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,  neither 
are  your  ways  My  ways,  saith  Jehovah.  For  as  the 
heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  My  ways  [of 
providence]  higher  than  your  ways,  and  My  thoughts 
[in  My  word]  than  your  thoughts.  For  as  the  rain 
cometh  down,  and  the  snow  from  heaven,  and  returneth 
not  thither,  but  wateretli  the  earth,  and  maketh  it 
bring  forth  and  bud,  that  it  may  give  seed  to  the  sower 
and  bread  to  the  eater  [may  fulfill  appointed  and  spe- 
cific ends] :  so  shall  My  word  be  that  goeth  forth  out 
of  My  mouth :  it  shall  not  return  unto  Me  void,  but  it 
shall  accomplish  that  which  I  please,  and  it  shall  pros- 
per in  the  thing  whereto  I  sent  it." 

2d.  That  the  thoughts  and  feelings,  responsibilities 
and  duties  of  all  men  in  like  circumstances  are  similar  ; 
and  therefore  the  words,  idioms,  and  styles  of  Scripture 
were  adapted  to  all  mankind. 

Hence  the  circumstance  that  so  large  a  portion  of 
the  contents  consists  of  minute  details  of  the  personal 
experience  and  history  of  individuals  in  every  variety 
of  relations,  and  of  maxims  for  the  regulation  of  life 
and  the  discrimination  of  character.  The  experience 
of  individuals,  verbally  expressed,  is  made  the  means 
of  instructing,  encouraging,  warning,  and  guiding  their 
successors  in  all  time.  But  the  appropriation  of  it  to 
those  ends,  implies  the  inspiration  of  the  words.  No- 
thing short  of  this  could  insure  its  perfect  accuracy, 
give  it  authority,  and  make  it  a  rule  of  conscience. 
The  records  of  such  experience  are  fraught  with  doc- 
trine and  precept.     They  exhibit  causes  and  results. 


252  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

They  show  what  is  in  man's  heart,  disclose  his  motives, 
define  his  faith.  They  are  mirrors.  He  who  looks 
into  them  will,  in  one  respect  or  another,  see  himself. 
They  illustrate  the  Divine  administration  of  law,  of 
providence,  and  of  grace,  and  show  how  all  in  like 
circumstances  and  of  like  conduct  will  be  dealt  with. 
Thus  the  faith,  conduct,  and  experience  of  Abraham, 
Moses,  the  Israelites,  David,  and  others,  are,  in  the 
New  Testament,  referred  to  as  examples  for  the  in- 
struction and  admonition  of  their  successors.  The 
instructions  which  they  convey,  and  which  involve  the 
vital  connection  between  doctrines,  precepts,  faith,  and 
practice,  are  expressed  in  the  inspired  words,  and  are 
therefore  authoritative  and  safe. 

These  suggestions  may  be  illustrated  by  a  reference 
to  those  books  of  the  Old  Testament  canon,  which 
those  who  imagine  different  degrees  of  inspiration,  and 
exclude  from  their  theories  the  inspiration  of  words, 
regard  as  of  limited  and  doubtful  authority,  or  reject 
as  unintelligible  and  useless.  The  book  of  Ecclesiastes 
is  of  this  class,  and  may  be  referred  to  as  an  example. 
If  this  book,  divided  as  in  the  common  version,  into 
chapters  and  verses,  with  no  indication  of  its  plan  and 
scope  as  a  whole,  be  read  as  a  succession  of  desultory 
observations,  it  may  appear  to  contain  inconsistent,  ir- 
relevant, and  erroneous  sentiments.  But  let  the  reader 
be  aware  that  it  is  indubitably  of  the  canon  of  inspired 
Scriptures ;  that  it  was  written  by  Solomon  after  his 
prolonged  experience  of  vanity  in  endeavoring  to  de- 
rive happiness,  satisfaction,  and  contentment  from 
worldly  possessions,  pursuits,  and  indulgencies,  and 
after  his  repentance  and  reformation ;  that  the  design 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  253 

was  to  show  by  his  experience  the  utter  folly  of  seek- 
ing happiness  in  the  ways  which  he  had  so  vainly  tried, 
to  dissuade  men  from  earthly  pursuits  and  pleasur 
means  of  real  and  lasting  good,  and  to  induce  them  to 
fear  God  and  keep  His  commandments,  which  are  exhib- 
ited as  the  only  true  wisdom,  that  is,  true  religion  of  1  nan, 
with  reference  both  to  the  present  and  the  future  life. 

Viewed  in  this  light,  the  book  is  composed  on  a 
regular  and  well  digested  plan.  The  writer  lays  down 
his  premises,  referring  wholly  or  mainly  to  his  own 
experience  in  the  iirst  six  chapters ;  showing  the  vanity 
of  all  earthly  conditions,  occupations,  and  pleasures, 
as  means  of  happiness  to  rational,  dying,  and  immortal 
man.  Then,  as  the  only  means  of  attaining  the  su- 
preme good,  he  asserts  and  illustrates  in  the  ensuing  chap- 
ters the  nature,  excellence,  and  invariable  benefits, 
temporal  and  eternal,  of  ivisdom,  or  true  religion.  In 
the  progress  of  this,  as,  indeed,  to  some  extent,  in  the 
first  division  of  the  book,  he  incidentally  notices  the 
objections  of  cavillers,  and  occasionally  such  collateral 
topics  as  the  method  of  instruction  and  reasoning  of  his 
time  naturally  suggested.  But  the  scope,  plan,  and 
tendency  of  the  piece  as  a  whole,  though  obscured  in 
some  particulars  by  imperfect  translations,  can  not  be 
mistaken  by  an  intelligent  reader.  Nor  can  such  a 
reader  be  at  any  loss  to  conceive  that  just  such  a  book 
should  have  been  required,  Divinely  inspired,  and  writ- 
ten near  the  close  of  Solomon's  life.  The  early  pari 
of  his  reign  was  distinguished  by  many  special  tokens 
of  Divine  favor.  "  He  sat  on  the  throne  of  Jehovah," 
as  king  over  all  Israel,  in  place  of  David,  at  the  culmi- 
nating period  of  the  theocracy.     To  him  was  assigned 


254:  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

the  erection  of  the  temple.  On  two  occasions  Jehovah 
appeared  to  him,  heard  his  requests,  and  blessed  him. 
In  respect  to  his  knowledge  and  wisdom,  the  success  of 
his  affairs,  and  the  peace,  prosperity,  and  glory  of  Lis 
kingdom,  he  was  greatly  favored  of  God.  His  history 
and  fame  in  these  respects  was  widely  known,  and  the 
disgrace  of  his  defection  to  idolatry  and  worldliness 
was  perhaps  not  less  notorious.  Degeneracy  and  cor- 
ruption were  at  the  same  time  in  progress  among  the 
people,  promoted,  no  doubt,  in  a  large  degree  by  his 
example.  "When  he  was  awakened  from  his  folly  to  a 
better  state  of  mind,  it  was  fit  that  he  should  be  called 
to  testify  against  the  prevalent  and  fatal  delusions  of 
worldliness  and  pleasure,  to  contrast  it  with  the  nature 
and  effects  of  true  wisdom,  and  to  recommend  true 
religion  as  the  only  means  of  present  and  future  happi- 
ness ;  and  to  inculcate  these  lessons  in  a  way  most 
likely  to  arrest  attention,  by  citing  his  own  extended 
and  melancholy  experience,  appealing  to  the  observa- 
tions and  feelings  of  those  whom  he  taught,  and  assert- 
ing the  moral  government  and  universal  providence  of 
God,  the  accountability,  frailty,  and  dependence  of  man, 
the  certainty  of  a  future  judgment  and  retribution,  and 
other  apposite  truths  of  revealed  religion. 

Here  was  a  most  ample,  diversified  public  experi- 
ment, made  by  the  wisest  man  and  greatest  monarch 
of  the  world,  who  had  control  of  all  the  means  of  grati- 
fying his  tastes  and  wishes.  '  He  gave  his  heart  .  .  . 
to  know  madness  and  folly  .  .  .  "Whatsoever  his  eyes 
desired  he  kept  it  not  from  them.  He  withheld  not  his 
heart  from  any  joy.'  He  exhausted  the  resources  of 
studious  ingenuity,  art,  and  fashion ;  and  proved  them 


OF   THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  255 

all  to  be  alike  unsatisfying  and  vain.  But  the  humili- 
ating lessons  which  he  had  learned,  and  his  final  testi- 
mony to  the  transcendent  excellence  of  true  wisdom, 
would  have  been  lost  to  others,  of  that  and  of  succeed- 
ing ages,  but  for  the  composition  of  this  book.  And  if 
the  book  was  not  verbally  inspired,  its  teachings  can 
have  no  conscience-binding  authority,  nor  can  its  words 
be  taken  as  the  sword  of  the  Spirit  in  arresting  and 
converting  those  who  are  in  danger  of  perishing  in 
courses  like  those  from  which  Solomon  was  recovered. 

There  are  many  things  exhibited  in  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures— many  comprehensive  and  essential  truths  con- 
cerning social  and  political,  invisible  and  spiritual  con- 
ditions, relations,  operations,  and  effects — clear  and 
adequate  conceptions  of  which  could  not  be  conveyed 
to  the  human  mind  by  mere  verbal  statements,  apart 
from  human  experience,  and  without  such  associations 
and  contrasts  of  thought  and  diction  as  are  pictured  in 
personal  biographies,  and  in  allegories,  parables,  types, 
and  representative  symbols :  concerning  all  which  it  is 
apparent  that  the  truths  which  are  taught — modified 
and  limited  as  they  are  by  the  lights  and  shadows, 
what  is  omitted  and  what  is  expressed,  in  the  verbal 
portraitures  —  could  not  be  conveyed  to  the  mind 
without  the  words  which  are  employed  in  the  text. 
And  it  is  no  less  apparent  that  the  truths  intended  to 
be  conveyed  by  these  emblematic  associations  could 
not  be  apprehended  or  conceived  until  the  words  neces- 
sary to  indicate  and  enshrine  them  were  conceived  and 
understood.  If,  then,  the  truths  were  inspired  into  ihe 
minds  of  the  sacred  writers,  the  words  also  must  at  the 


256  THE  PLENARY  INSILRaTION 

same  time  have  been  inspired.  To  suppose  that  the 
writers  selected  the  words,  is  to  suppose  them  to  select 
words  to  express  thoughts  fully,  of  which  previously 
they  had  but  a  half-formed  conception  ;  words  to  sup- 
ply some  essential  feature  of  the  thoughts,  or  some  in- 
crement of  limitation. 

These  methods  of  expressing  specific  leading  truths 
by  associating  and  grouping  particular  thoughts  in 
words  which  otherwise  arranged  would  not  exj3ress  the 
same  truths,  proceed  upon  the  ground  of  analogy  and 
resemblance  in  such  specified  or  manifest  particulars,  as 
are  necessary  to  indicate  the  truths  intended  to  be  con- 
veyed. The  words  employed  in  forming  the  picture, 
indicate  the  particular  thoughts,  facts,  characteristics, 
analogies,  or  resemblances  which,  as  grouped  in  the 
portraiture,  convey  the  intended  truth. 

The  Divine  revelations  and  inspirations  were  made 
to  the  prophets,  generally,  with  the  accompaniment,  or 
in  immediate  connection  with,  the  audible  utterance  of 
words,  heard  and  understood  in  the  same  way  as  the 
vocal  utterances  of  one  man  are  heard  and  understood 
by  another.  But  in  other  instances,  the  Divine 
thoughts  in  words  were  as  effectually  conveyed  to  their 
intelligent  consciousness,  without  any  extrinsic  accom- 
paniment, by  a  simple  inbreathing  of  the  verbal 
thoughts  which  they  were  to  write.  In  still  other  in- 
stances the  sacred  writers  received  the  Divine  commu- 
nications, the  thoughts,  in  the  words  which  they  were 
to  write,  when  in  the  state  denoted  by  the  term  Vision — ■ 
a  state,  so  far  as  the  senses  and  the  will  were  concerned, 
like  that  of  sleep.     Of  this  a  brief  notice  is  require^. 

The  Hebrew  words  translated  vision,  where  Divine 


OF  THE    HOLT   BCBIPT1  RES.  257 

communications  to  the  prophets  as  recorded  in  Scrip- 
ture, are  referred  to,  signify  the  Bame  us  the  word  a  - 
ing,  in  the  same  connections ;  meaning  the  intellectual 

perception  and  consciousness,  whether  when  awake  or 
asleep,  of  what  was  verbally  communicated  to  them  by 
inspiration,  and  was  by  them  written.  In  this  relation 
it  is  often  synonymous  with  the  terms  word  and  burden, 
signifying  the  intellectual  perception  and  consciousness 
of  the  thoughts  verbally  revealed  and  inspired  in 
words.  Thus :  "  The  vision  of  Isaiah  .  .  .  which  he 
saw  concerning  Judah  and  Jerusalem ;  [namely]  .  .  . 
Hear,  0  heavens,  and  give  ear,  O  earth,  for  Jehovah 
hath  spoken/'  "  The  vision  of  Obadiah.  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  God  concerning  Edom."  "The  burden  of 
Babylon,  which  Isaiah  the  son  of  Amos  did  see."  "  The 
burdan  which  Ilabbakuk  the  prophet  did  see."  "  The 
word  that  Isaiah  the  Son  of  Amos  saw  concerning 
Judah  and  Jerusalem."  "The  words  of  Amos  .  .  . 
which  he  saw  concerning  Israel."  "  Then  Thou  spakest 
in  vision  to  thy  Iloly  One,  and  saidst,  I  have  laid  help 
upon  one  that  is  mighty." 

The  revelations  and  inspirations  referred  to  under 
these  terms,  were  evidently  made  in  words  or  in 
equivalent  signs  or  symbols.  The  thoughts  conveyed 
to  the  prophets  were  realized  to  their  consciousness  in 
words,  in  a  manner  equivalent  to  seeing  them  in  writ- 
ing, and  in  some  cases  in  a  manner  equivalent  to  hear- 
ing the  words  spoken,  and  seeing  the  scenes,  agents, 
and  events  described.  In  all  instances  of  receiving 
such  communications,  the  prophets  were  passive.  As 
in  dreams,  their  power  of  volition  was  quiescent 
Their  power  of  conceiving  thoughts  in  words,  how- 


258  THE   PLENAEY  INSPIRATION 

ever,  and  of  remembering  them,  was  not  impaired. 
Their  intellectual  conceptions  were,  perhaps,  more 
vivid  when  asleep  than  when  awake.  What  was  con- 
veyed to  them  by  inspiration  when  asleep,  and  without 
the  power  of  voluntarily  selecting  words,  was  realized 
to  their  consciousness  and  remembered  in  words.  What 
occurred  differed  from  what  occurs  in  ordinary  dreams, 
in  this,  that  the  thoughts  of  which  they  became  conscious 
were  conveyed  to  them  by  the  Divine  act  of  inspiration. 

So,  in  the  New  Testament,  a  vision  and  seeing,  in 
the  sense  above  defined — perceiving  and  being  con- 
scious of  thoughts  verbally  inspired  in  words — are  of 
like  import.  Thus  at  the  transfiguration,  the  disci- 
ples, though  "  heavy  with  sleep,"  were  conscious  of 
what  was  said  by  Moses  and  Elias :  but  "  as  they  came 
down  from  the  mountain,  Jesus  charged  them,  saying, 
tell  the  vision  to  no  man  until  the  Son  of  Man  be 
risen  again  from  the  dead."  Cornelius  "saw  in  a 
vision  ...  an  angel  of  God  coming  in  to  him  and  say- 
ing, Cornelius."  Peter,  in  a  trance— a  state  in  which 
the  senses  are  suspended — saw  a  vision.  "  There  came 
a  voice  to  him."  ..."  And  the  voice  spake  unto  him 
again  the  second  time."  ..."  He  doubted  what  this 
vision  which  he  had  seen  should  mean."  .  .  "While  he 
thought  on  the  vision,  the  spirit  said  unto  him,  Behold 
three  men  seek  thee."  (Acts  10.)  A  vision  appeared 
to  Paul  in  the  night.  "  There  stood  a  man  of  Mace- 
donia and  prayed  him,  saying,  Come  over  into  Mace- 
donia and  help  us."  (Acts  16.)  "  Then  spake  the 
Lord  to  Paul  in  the  night  by  a  vision,  Be  not  afraid, 
but  speak,  and  hold  not  thy  peace."     (Acts  18.) 

It  seems  to  be  quite  evident,  from  these  examples, 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  259 

that  a  prophetic  vision  means  the  reception  of  thoughts 
in  words  by  inspiration ;  and  that  besides  the  thoughts 
and  words  which  are  recorded  as  having  been  expressed 
and  heard,  in  cases  where  agents  or  phenomena  are  re- 
ferred to  as  if  seen  by  the  natural  eye,  the  thoughts 
which  a  sight  of  them  by  that  organ  would  suggest, 
were  also  verbally  inspired. 

The  notion  that  a  prophetic  vision,  or  seeing  a 
vision,  denotes  that  the  prophet  was  in  a  state  of  men- 
tal ecstasy  enabling  him  to  foresee  events,  and  to  con- 
ceive thoughts  previously  unknown,  does  not  appear 
to  have  a  shadow  of  foundation  in  the  Scriptures.  On 
the  contrary,  so  far  from  the  prophets  being  excited,  or 
under  any  afflatus,  it  would  seem,  that  in  the  case  in 
question,  they  were  either  in  a  state  of  sleep,  like  that 
of  men  who  dream,  or,  if  awake,  that  their  senses  were 
suspended,  and  their  will  inactive,  while  the  free  exer- 
cise of  their  intellectual  powers  was  continued. 

The  study  of  words  is  the  study  of  our  intellectual 
and  moral  being.  The  power  of  thinking  is  as  the 
knowledge  of  words.  Correct  thinking  implies  an 
accurate  knowledge  of  the  vehicle  of  thought.  Teach- 
ing words,  is  teaching  thoughts,  conveying  intelligence, 
qualifying  the  mind  to  think.  Hence  a  right  know- 
ledge of  words,  as  the  moulds  and  vehicles  of  right 
thoughts,  is  necessary  to  right  decisions  of  conscience. 
For  the  decisions  of  conscience  are  convictions,  feelings 
of  the  mind,  which  result  from  a  comparison  of  our 
acts  with  the  rules  of  right  and  wrong,  which  we  have 
adopted.  The  rule  or  standard  does  not  exist  in  the 
mind  independently  of  our  perception  and  knowledge 
of  law,  truth,  and  the  words  of  truth  ;  for  if  it  did,  all 
men's  consciences  would  invariably  decide  alike,  where- 


260  THE   PLENAEY  INSPIRATION 

as  those  men  whose  standard  is  wrong,  are  as  con- 
scientious in  doing  wrong,  as  those  are,  in  doing  right, 
whose  standard  is  correct.  If  the  standard  is  wrong,  or 
if  no  standard  is  perceived  and  known,  the  decisions 
of  conscience  will  be  wrong,  or  there  will  be  no  sense 
of  right  and  wrong  in  the  case.  But  a  correct  know- 
ledge  of  words  is  requisite  to  the  perception  and  know- 
ledge of  the  true  standard  of  comparison,  in  every 
given  case.  To  meet  the  exigencies  of  men  in  this  re- 
lation, the  standard  must  be  infallible.  It  must  be  such 
as  the  Supreme  Arbiter  of  right  and  wrong  alone  can 
furnish.  His  words,  therefore,  which  express  the  in- 
fallible standard,  must  be  rightly  understood,  in  order 
that  the  results  of  comparison,  the  decisions  of  con- 
science, may  be  according  to  truth. 

The  popular  objections  to  some  things  contained  in 
the  Scriptures,  as  being  beneath  the  dignity  of  the 
Divine  Being,  being  of  little,  and  of  mere  temporary 
importance  in  themselves,  or  being  inconsistent  with 
refined  and  cultivated  taste,  proceed  partly  upon  the 
assumption  that  our  version  of  the  original  words  con- 
veys to  us  in  every  idiomatic  and  other  particular,  ex- 
actly the  same  impressions  which  the  original  words 
conveyed  to  those  who  were  contemporary  with  the 
revelations,  and  whose  habits,  manners,  tastes,  modes 
of  thought,  education,  governments,  institutions,  cli- 
mates, employments,  were  widely  different  from  ours ; 
and  partly  upon  the  presumption  that  apart  from  the 
changes  effected  by  time  in  the  words  of  our  version, 
the  objectors  are  competent  judges  not  only  as  to  what 
words  should  be  used  in  a  revelation,  but  as  to  what 
thoughts,  in  a  biography  of  fallen  men,  and  in  narra- 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  261 

tives  of  particular  events,  might  be  necessary  and  pro- 
per to  be  expressed.  An  examination  of  the  topics, 
details,  and.  words,  which  are  objected  to,  made  in  view 
of  the  occasions  and  objects  of  particular  revelations, 
and  with  a  tolerable  knowledge  of  their  direct  or  his- 
torical connection  with  the  great  train  of  dispensations, 
covenants,  institutions,  promises,  predictions,  provi- 
dences, disciplinary  dealings,  manifestations  of  right- 
eousness, exhibitions  of  human  character,  and  histori- 
cal fidelity  and  consistency,  will,  to  honest  and  unpre- 
judiced minds,  remove  the  imagined  difficulties.  But 
even  if  they  could  not  be  removed  by  any  investiga- 
tion which  is  possible  at  this  distance  of  time,  it  would 
not  follow  from  their  being  offensive  to  man's  wisdom, 
and  distasteful  to  his  sentimentalism,  that  they  were 
not  founded  on  ample  reasons  which  were  apparent 
when  they  were  originally  written.  In  general,  an 
impartial  inquirer  can  not  fail  to  discover  that  the 
things  which  he  had  inconsiderately  regarded  as  trivial, 
Lad  such  relative  bearing  and  importance,  as  to  forbid 
their  being  dispensed  with ;  and  that  what  appeared 
trivial  to  his  limited  vision,  was  in  its  relations  like  the 
key-stone  of  an  arch.  Thus  the  mention  of  the  flagrant 
sins,  delinquencies,  and  defects  of  holy  men,  often  cast 
a  flood  of  light  upon  the  most  important  doctrines 
concerning  the  corruption  of  men's  hearts,  and  the 
grounds  and  methods  of  their  recovery,  justification, 
sanctification,  ami  final  deliverance.  So  with  respect 
to  the  record  of  particular  acts,  depravities,  and  cor- 
ruptions of  wicked  men.  And  in  general,  it  may  be 
said,  that  if  fallen  men  in  the  relations  which  they  sus- 
tain, were  to  be  instructed  concerning  their  own  cha- 


262  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

racters  and  abominations,  so  that  the  thoughts  of  their 
hearts  should  be  revealed  to  themselves,  in  contrast 
with  the  character  and  laws  of  God,  then  the  colloquial 
and  familiar  words  employed  by  the  Searcher  of  hearts 
to  describe  them,  were  of  indispensable  necessity. 

It  has  been  objected  that  the  Scriptures  include  what 
is  recorded  as  having  been  spoken — whether  true  or 
false  in  itself — by  Satan,  and  by  false  prophets,  and 
other  bad,  as  well  as  by  good  men.  The  histori- 
cal fact  of  such  portions  having  been  spoken  in  the 
words  and  connections  in  which  they  are  recorded,  is 
indeed  thus  verified,  in  like  manner  as  are  the  state- 
ments of  other  historical  facts.  What  was  said  by 
such  persons  is  doubtless  recorded  in  their  words  and 
their  idiom ;  and  being  in  effect  but  quotations,  neces- 
sary to  the  progress  and  intelligibility  of  historical  nar- 
ratives, presents  no  ground  of  objection  to  the  plenary 
verbal  inspiration  of  all  that  is  contained  in  the  sacred 
volume.  The  true  question  respecting  the  inspiration 
and  infallible  authority  of  the  Scriptures  is  :  Whether 
that  which  is  written  was  Divinely  inspired  into  the 
minds  of  the  writers,  and  is  therefore  the  word  of  God  ? 
That  can  not  be  denied  without  disproving  the  genuine- 
ness and  authenticity  of  the  entire  volume.  It  is  not 
the  object  of  inspiration,  even  with  respect  to  those 
historical  facts,  proverbial  sayings,  and  other  matters 
which  might  be  within  the  personal  knowledge  of  the 
writers,  merely  to  record  what  was  true,  but  to  authen- 
ticate by  Divine  authority  as  true,  historically  or  other- 
wise, what  is  written.  Had  the  insertion  of  such  his- 
torical facts,  narratives,  sayings,  propositions,  genealo- 
gies, and  other  secular  and  familiar  things,  depended 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  263 

at  all  upon  the  discretion  of  the  writers,  they  might 
have  extended  the  record  indefinitely,  they  might  have 
made  a  different  selection,  and,  supposing  them  to  have 
been  honest,  they  might  have  been  mistaken  in  some 
things,  and  written  what  was  partly  or  wholly  errone- 
ous, and  thereby  have  discredited  the  entire  vol  ume. 
As  it  is,  the  entire  volume,  and  every  part  of  it,  is  au- 
thentic and  credible,  because  it  was  given  by  inspir- 
ation of  God. 

The  language  of  Scripture,  with  its  idioms  and  col- 
loquialisms, is  preeminently  the  language  of  common- 
sense — expressing  the  unsophisticated  conceptions,  af- 
fections, and  intuitions  of  the  common  mind  concern- 
ing all  matters  of  ordinary  experience.  And  it  is  so, 
first,  because  the  thoughts  of  mankind  concerning  those 
matters  are  universally  alike  ;  and  second,  because  the 
Scriptures  were  intended  for  the  instruction  of  all  man- 
kind. The  thoughts  of  all  being  alike,  the  language, 
the  style,  the  words,  idioms,  phrases,  correspond  with 
the  apprehensions,  feelings,  circumstances,  wants,  de- 
sires, hopes,  fears,  of  the  different  peoples  of  the  earth. 
It  is  the  language  of  Nature,  applied  to  the  moral  re- 
lations, wants,  and  experiences  of  man  ;  and,  therefore, 
is  employed  by  the  Infinite  Intelligence  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  man,  in  those  relations.  To  suppose  it  to  be 
so  employed  in  a  different  manner,  by  different  rules, 
or  with  different  significations,  from  those  common  to 
it  as  used  by  men,  would  be  impious  and  absurd  :  and 
all  that  so-called  criticism  which  seeks  a  hidden  sense, 
a  latent  meaning,  a  preternatural  reference — which  finds 
figures  where  there  is  nothing  figurative,  and  mystery 
where  the  sense  is  plain,  is  but  an  offshoot  of  depraved 


264  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

affections  and  perverted  reason.  Such  criticism  begins 
and  ends  in  the  wisdom  of  this  world,  which  is  fool- 
ishness— in  the  philosophy,  which  is  science,  falsely  so 
called. 

If  men  intellectually  conceive,  receive  from  others, 
are  conscious  of,  remember,  and  express  their  thoughts 
in  words — if  a  knowledge  of  words  is  an  indispensable 
adjunct  and  condition  of  thought — if  their  words  are 
commensurate  with  their  thoughts  in  variety  and  sig- 
nificance— if  their  words  perfectly  express  the  thoughts 
of  which  they  are  conscious — if  a  knowledge  of  words 
is  attainable  by  all  who  are  capable  of  thinking,  by  in- 
struction, study,  hearing  the  speech,  and  reading  the 
writings  of  others — then  is  the  fact  of  inspiration  as 
little  chargeable  with  mystery,  as  the  fact  that  the 
thoughts  of  men  are  expressed  to  each  other  by  vocal 
utterances.  The  same  effect  is  produced  in  the  two 
cases :  namely,  the  conveyance  of  thoughts  in  words 
into  the  minds  of  men  ;  and  unless  the  creature  can  do 
in  this  relation,  what  the  Creator  can  not  do,  He  who 
made  man  with  his  intellectual,  organic,  and  voluntary 
powers,  can  speak  to  him  in  words,  can  endow  him  with 
the  knowledge  of  words,  and  convey  thoughts  in  words 
into  his  mind.  This  He  has  done  in  the  language, 
style,  and  manner  of  those  to  whom  He  spoke  so  as  to 
be  understood  by  them,  and  by  whom  He  speaks  in- 
telligibly to  us. 

The  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures  accordingly,  is  that 
exercise  of  the  official  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit  by 
which  thoughts  in  the  words  which  perfectly  expressed 
them,  were  conveyed  to  the  minds  and  intelligent 
consciousness  of  the  sacred  penmen  to  be  written,  and 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCBEPTUBES.  265 

by  which  at  the  same  time  they  were  moved  to  write 
them.  That  agency  extended  alike  to  all  the  words 
which  were  so  written,  and  determined  the  grammati- 
cal forms,  collocations,  and  arrangements  of  them.  It 
was  not  enough  that  the  Prophets  and  Apostles  heard 
the  voice  of  Jehovah,  expressing  thoughts  in  articulate 
words.  Moses  on  two  occasions  of  forty  days'  continu- 
ance in  the  Mount,  may  have  heard  much  which  the 
Spirit  did  not  move  him  to  write.  The  conversation 
with  Moses  and  Elias  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration 
is  not  recorded.  Paul,  when  caught  up.  to  the  third 
heaven,  heard  words  which  he  was  not  commissioned 
to  write.  One  prediction  of  Enoch  is  recorded  by  the 
Apostle  Jude.  Scores  of  others  by  early  and  later 
prophets,  may  have  been  spoken,  and  served  their  pur- 
pose without  being  comprised  in  the  written  oracles. 
It  belonged  to  the  official  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  successive  dispensations,  to  select  the  thoughts  and 
words  which  were  to  be  expressed  in  the  sacred  writ- 
ings, to  inspire  them  into  the  minds  of  the  writers,  and 
to  move  the  writers  to  record  them  in  their  order,  con- 
nection, idiom,  and  style.  Accordingly,  the  words 
which  were  written,  are  characterized  by  Zechariah  as 
"  the  words  which  the  Lord  of  Hosts  hath  sent  in  His 
Spirit  by  the  former  prophets."  As  the  Spirit  gave 
them  utterance,  the  Apostles  spake  the  words  which 
the  Spirit  taught  them.  All  that  they  spoke  in  their 
official  character,  whether  in  preaching  or  as  witnesses, 
was  inspired  into  their  minds.  The  Spirit  spoke  in 
them  as  other  holy  men  spake,  and  wrote  as  they  were 
moved  by  the  noly  Ghost.  If  such  verbal  inspiration 
was  necessary  in  any  instance,  it  was  for   the  same 

12 


266  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

reason  necessary  in  every  instance  of  speaking  and 
writing  what  is  comprised  in  the  Sacred  Oracles.  If  it 
was  necessary  to  infallible  accuracy  in  writing  what 
had  been  audibly  communicated  by  Jehovah,  it  could 
not  have  been  less  necessary  to  infallible  accuracy  in 
biographical  and  historical  narratives. 

It  needs  not  to  be  proved  that  He  who  created  man 
and  endowed  him  with  intellect  and  with  the  power  of 
speech,  could,  at  pleasure,  convey  His  thoughts  into 
the  minds  of  men  in  words  selected  by  Him  and  intel- 
ligible to  them.  Such  prerogative  on  His  part  might 
safely  be  affirmed,  had  no  exercise  of  it  ever  been  ex- 
hibited. But  He  has  exercised  it.  He  has  spoken  in 
the  intelligible  and  familiar  words  and  idioms  of  men, 
and  in  those  words  and  idioms  inspired  His  thoughts 
into  the  minds  of  the  holy  men  whom  He  employed 
to  write  them  for  the  instruction  of  the  whole  race. 
This,  as  is  manifest  from  the  sacred  writings,  and  from 
the  constitution  of  man,  He  has  done  in  accordance 
with  those  laws  of  the  mind  by  which  men  think,  re- 
ceive thoughts  from  others,  are  conscious  of  them,  re- 
member and  express  them  in  words  which  they  under- 
stand. 

The  nature  and  mode  of  Divine  revelations  and  in- 
spirations are  thus  seen  to  be  characterized  by  the  same 
simplicity  and  naturalness  as  the  other  works  of  God. 
They  are  as  perfectly  suited  to  their  end — the  convey- 
ance of  thoughts  from  God  to  man — and  as  perfectly 
in  harmony  with  the  constitution  and  faculties  of  men, 
as  is  their  mode  of  conveying  their  thoughts  to  one 
another.  As  men  receive  and  become  conscious  of 
each  other's  thoughts  only  as  they  arc  expressed  in 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  267 

words,  so  the  Divine  thoughts  are  inspired  into  their 
minds  and  realized  to  their  consciousness  in  words. 
To  imagine  the  sacred  writers  to  have  been,  like  hea- 
then priestesses,  themselves  inspired  to  conceive  the 
Divine  thoughts,  and  to  have  been  subject  to  different 
degrees  of  inspiration,  as  the  subject  was  or  was  not 
previously  within  their  knowledge,  is  as  absurd  a-;  to 
suppose  men  to  be  capable  of  discovering  and  being 
conscious  of  the  thoughts  of  each  other  without  their 
being  expressed  in  words.  And  to  suppose  on  a  sub- 
ject of  such  infinite  importance  as  the  communication 
of  the  Divine  will  to  man  as  the  rule  of  his  faith  and 
life,  that  the  thoughts  were  inspired  without  the  words 
is  as  preposterous  as  to  imagine  the  sentence  of  a  judi- 
cial tribunal  in  a  case  of  life  and  death  to  be  conveyed 
in  thoughts  without  words.  It  is  manifestly  as  incon- 
sistent with  the  Divine  perfections,  the  nature  and  im- 
portance of  the  things  to  be  communicated,  the  wants 
of  man,  and  every  thing  involved  in  the  case,  to  sup- 
pose that  the  selection  of  the  words  of  Scripture  was 
left  to  the  discretion  of  the  sacred  writers,  as  to  sup- 
pose that  the  thoughts  to  be  expressed  were  left  to  their 
discretion. 

The  view  which  has  been  exhibited  in  these  pages 
of  the  nature,  mode,  and  effect  of  Divine  inspiration, 
determines  on  the  one  hand  that  the  written  Scriptures 
contain  all  the  inspired  truths  which  the  Divine  Wis- 
dom required  to  be  recorded  for  the  infallible  instruc- 
tion and  guidance  of  men — the  rule  of  faith  and  life, 
binding  on  the  conscience  and  sufficient  to  all  the  ends 
to  be  answered ;  and  equally  determines  on  the  other 
hand,  the  absurdity  and  impiety  of  relying  on  Tradi- 


268  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

tions,  whether  Patristic  or  Komish,  as  rules  of  faith  or 
ractice.  They  have  not  in  this  relation,  a  single  cha- 
racteristic of  infallibility  or  of  conscience-binding 
authority.  They  are  at  best  but  the  fallible  dicta  of 
uninspired,  often  of  unenlightened,  unholy,  inconsist- 
tent,  erring  men.  In  so  far  as  they  coincide  with  what 
is  written  in  the  Inspired  Oracles,  they  are  superfluous. 
In  so  far  as  they  transcend  what  is  written,  they  are  cor- 
rupt and  impious.  They  are  as  utterly  unnecessary  as 
they  are  incompetent  to  establish  any  doctrine ;  and 
whatever  they  teach  beyond  what  is  taught  in  the  in- 
spired word,  is  in  the  nature  of  the  case  without  author- 
ity. They  proceed  upon  the  infidel  assumptions,  that 
the  Holy  Scriptures  are  insufficient,  defective,  inexpli- 
cit, unintelligible,  and  that  fallible  men  are  entitled  to 
supply  its  defects  and  act  the  part  of  lawgivers  to  the 
Church,  and  arbiters  of  human  destiny.  But  on  the 
contrary,  the  words  of  Scripture  being  inspired  of  God, 
convey  His  infallible  thoughts,  and  all  that  Infinite 
Wisdom  deemed  to  be  necessary,  and  are  exclusively 
the  rule  of  faith  and  life.  Hence,  throughout  the 
Scriptures,  the  words  of  God — sjDoken,  inspired,  writ- 
ten— are  the  ground,  warrant,  test,  and  limit  of  saving- 
faith  and  acceptable  obedience.  Abraham  staggered 
not  at  the  verbal  promise  of  God,  but  believed  it,  and 
obeyed  the  verbal  directions  expressed  to  him.  He 
regarded  the  words  of  God,  and  the  oath  by  which  he 
confirmed  them,  as  alike  immutable,  and,  therefore,  like 
all  who  follow  in  his  steps,  he  had  that  hope  of  accept- 
ance and  eternal  life,  which,  as  an  anchor  of  the  soul, 
is  both  sure  and  steadfast,  being  fixed  in  the  place 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  269 

within  the  veil,  where  Jesus  on  their  account  ha 
tered.     (Ileb.  6.) 

The  distinctive  terms  of  Scriptural  theology  are 
evidences  and  exponents  of  the  divinely  constituted 
ministry  of  words.  According  to  our  view,  for  exam- 
ple, the  Divine  names,  designations,  attributes,  and 
works,  when  first  made  known,  were  so  announced  and 
inspired  as  to  convey  in  the  words  the  exact  thoughts 
and  meanings  which  they  were  intended  to  signify,  and 
to  fix  and  perpetuate  them  in  the  memory  and  speech 
of  men.  The  thoughts  were  understood  and  remem- 
bered, as  they  were  embodied,  and  expressed,  and  real- 
ized to  the  consciousness  in  the  words.  The  words 
once  received  as  the  medium  and  vehicle  of  the 
thoughts,  would  be  lodged  in  the  memory  to  be  re- 
called as  the  fixed  and  perfect  moulds  of  the  thoughts 
originally  cast  and  transmitted  in  them.  They  could 
signify  only  the  thoughts  of  which  they  had  been  the 
vehicle.  To  repeat  and  teach  them  to  others,  would 
be  to  express  and  convey  the  original  thoughts.  A 
reexpression  of  them  by  Adam  to  his  children,  and  by 
them  to  their  descendants,  would  equally  perpetuate 
the  thoughts  and  words  in  their  original  completeness 
and  precision,  till  ignorance,  evil  influences,  and  false 
teaching  vitiated  the  conception  of  the  thoughts,  and 
perverted  the  appropriation  of  the  words. 

The  same  observations  will  apply  generally  to  all 
concrete  and  to  abstract  terms,  and  to  the  historical, 
tropical,  and  antithetical  appropriation  of  words;  to 
the  perversions  of  which,  from  their  original  purpose 
and  use,  so  as  to  make  them  the  vehicles  of  erroneous 
and  vitiated  thoughts,  are  to  be  ascribed  all  false  theo- 


270  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

ries  of  ethics  and  religion,  and  all  that,  in  the  antago- 
nism of  Satan  and  his  messengers,  of  which  language  is 
the  instrument. 

In  our  view  of  the  relation  of  words  to  thoughts,  it 
is  no  ways  surprising  that  besides  the  classes  of  parti- 
cular words  formerly  referred  to  as  being  the  exclusive 
vehicles  of  the  particular  thoughts  which  they  express, 
all  the  important  facts,  propositions,  doctrines,  formu- 
laries of  faith,  doxologies,  invocations,  thanksgivings, 
predictions,  precepts,  and  threatenings  recorded  in  the 
Scriptures,  are  expressed  in  sentences  in  which  the 
collocation  of  the  words  is  such  as  absolutely  to  pre- 
clude any  transposition,  without  marring  or  changing 
the  sense,  or  sacrificing  brevity  and  distinctness  by  cir- 
cumlocutions and  qualifying  terms ;  and  in  general, 
and  perhaps  without  exception,  it  may  be  said,  that 
the  particular  words  employed  and  collocated  as  they 
are  in  such  sentences,  can  no  more  be  exchanged  for 
other  words,  than  the  arrangement  of  the  original 
words  can  be  changed  without  sacrificing  the  thoughts 
which  they  convey.  This  is  alike  true  of  the  original 
texts  according  to  the  idioms,  grammar,  and  usage  of 
their  respective  languages,  and  of  our  own  and  other 
faithful  translations.  Of  this,  a  few  examples  only 
need  to  be  adduced.  The  first  sentence  in  the  Book 
of  Genesis,  which  expresses  a  foundation  fact  of  re- 
vealed religion,  is  an  instance.  The  comprehensive, 
precise,  and  perfect  thought,  and  each  particular,  shade, 
qualification,  and  relation  comprised  in  the  general 
thought  expressed,  can  not  be  perfectly  conceived  by 
the  intellect  or  expressed  to  the  ear  and  the  intelligent 
consciousness  of  the  hearer  or  reader,  in  any  other 


OF   THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURI.  271 

Hebrew  or  English  words,  or  in  the  same  words  differ- 
ently collocated  from  those  of  the  existing  texts.  Let 
the  reader,  with  a  competent  knowledge  of  Hebrew 
and  English  words  and  idioms,  make  trial  of  this  sen- 
tence. He  will  encounter  difficulties  in  proportion  as 
he  comprehends  the  main  thought  of  the  sentence  as 
such,  the  occasion  and  purpose  of  its  announcement,  its 
relation  to  what  follows  in  the  chapter,  its  relation  to 
the  time  when,  of  the  action  affirmed,  and  to  the  objects 
of  the  action,  the  necessity  of  its  being  precisely  and 
unequivocally  expressed  as  a  first  principle,  a  founda- 
tion truth,  the  corner  stone  of  the  entire  edifice  of  rev- 
elation, are  essential  facts  concerning  the  origin  of  the 
material  universe,  and  all  dependent  existences  in  the 
will  and  power  of  God,  as  contradistinguished  from  idol 
deities  and  creatures ;  and  as  the  basis  of  the  assertion  and 
exercise  of  his  prerogatives  and  rights  as  Lawgiver, 
moral  and  providential  Eulcr,  and  Judge  of  men,  and 
as  the  ground  of  His  claims  to  their  obedience  and 
submission.  "Which  of  the  words  of  the  sentence  can 
he  dispense  with  ?  Which  can  he  exchange  for  other 
words  that  will  perfectly  supply  the  place  of  the  origi- 
nals ?  Which  can  he  transpose  without  damage  to  the 
euphony,  the  required  order,  mould,  and  sequence  of 
conception,  and  the  completeness,  compactness,  and  un- 
equivocalness  of  the  thought  ?  Doubtless  the  words  of 
the  sentence  might  be  arranged  in  several  different 
ways  without  a  violation  of  grammar,  but  in  no  other 
way  than  that  in  which  they  arc  arranged  in  the  texts, 
will  they  convey  precisely,  and  neither  more  nor  less, 
than  tli''  same  meaning. 

The  like  observations  are  applicable  to  the  following 


272  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

and  equally  to  numberless  other  Scripture  seutences 
from  a  just  consideration  of  which  and  the  grounds  of 
analogy  and  inference  which  they  afford,  we  may  confi- 
dently assert :  1st.  That  the  words  of  the  Hebrew  and 
Greek  texts  could  not  be  translated  into  other  Hebrew 
and  Greek  words  so  as  to  convey  precisely  and  exclus- 
ively the  thoughts  and  shades  of  thought  in  the  same 
connections  and  relations,  and  with  the  same  limita- 
tions and  implications  which  the  existing  texts  convey, 
for  these  words  perfectly  expressed  the  thoughts,  and 
were  selected  by  the  Spirit  for  that  reason  and  in  pre- 
ference to  all  other  words.  And  2d.  That  the  words 
of  our  English  version,  so  far  as  they  perfectly  express 
the  thoughts  of  the  originals,  can  not  be  changed  for 
other  English  words  so  as  perfectly  to  express  the 
same  thoughts.  For  the  translators  as  clearly  conceived 
those  thoughts  in  the  words  of  their  version  as  in  the 
original  words,  and  employed  the  words  in  which  they 
so  conceived  the  thoughts  in  preference,  and  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  other  words.  Hence  the  ill  success  of  all 
attempts  hitherto,  and  the  hopelessness  of  all  future 
attempts  to  produce  and  give  currency  to  new  transla- 
tions of  the  text  generally,  or  even  to  particular  por- 
tions of  it,  or  more  than  obsolete  and  occasional  words. 
"  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that  worship  Him,  must 
worship  Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. — The  heavens  de- 
clare the  glory  of  God  and  the  firmament  showeth 
His  handy  work. — The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  con- 
verting the  soul. — The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the  full- 
ness thereof. — Thou  shalt  not  kill. — The  soul  that  sin- 
neth,.it  shall  die. — That  Christ  died  for  our  sins,  accord- 
ing to  the  Scriptures,  and  that  He  was  buried,  and  that 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  273 

He  rose  again  the  third  day  according  to  the  Scriptures, 
and  that  he  was  seen  of  Cephas,  then  of  the  twelve 
etc. — God  so  loved  the  world  that  lie  gave  His  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  bclieveth  in  Him  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life. — He  that  believeth 
on  the  Son  hath  everlasting  life. — The  law  of  the 
Spirit  of  life  in  Christ  Jesus,  hath  made  me  free  from 
the  law  of  sin  and  death. — As  many  as  are  led  by  the 
Spirit  of  God,  they  arc  the  sons  of  God. — O  the  depth 
of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of 
God !  how  unsearchable  are  His  judgments,  and  His 
ways  past  finding  out. — Of  Him,  and  through  Him, 
and  to  Him  are  all  things  ;  to  whom  be  glory  forever. 
Amen. — Now  the  God  of  patience  and  consolation 
grant  you  to  be  like-minded  one  toward  another  accord- 
ing to  Christ  Jesus — "Who  is  gone  into  heaven  and  is 
on  the  right  hand  of  God  ;  angels,  and  authorities,  and 
powers  being  made  subject  unto  Him." 

The  exact  meaning  of  words  as  they  are  used  in 
sentences  is  fixed  by  their  collocation,  whereby  their 
relation  to  the  thought  conveyed  by  the  sentence, 
and  their  connection  and  relation  to  the  other  words 
of  the  sentence  which  in  one  respect  or  another  qual- 
ify the  thought,  necessarily  determine  the  precise 
thought  intended  to  be  expressed.  Many  writers  ac- 
cordingly have  perceived  that  in  all  cases  of  words 
which  have  more  than  one  meaning,  or  which,  as  used 
in  different  connections  and  in  relation  to  different  sub- 
jects, have  different  significations,  the  intended  mean- 
ing is  that  which  is  rendered  necessary  by  their  collo- 
cations in  particular  instances.  Thus  Erneeti 
Morus,  as  rendered  by  Stuart,  teach  that  every  word 
12* 


274  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

must  have  a  meaning,  which  is  determined  by  usage ; 
that  the  exact  meaning  in  different  instances,  as  fixed 
by  usage,  results  necessarily  from  the  connection  and 
arrangement  or  collocation  of  words  in  sentences  ;  and 
that  those  err  who  assign  many  meanings  to  a  word  at 
the  same  time  and  in  the  same  place.  This  is  an  ap- 
proximation to  what  the  case  involves.  What  needs 
to  be  added  is,  that  the  mind  itself,  in  willing  to  ex- 
press particular  thoughts  which  it  conceives  in  words, 
and  in  the  act  of  thinking  fixes  the  collocation  of  the 
words,  and  thereby  determines  what  the  usage  itself 
must  necessarily  be,  or  exemplifies  the  rule  by  which 
the  conception  of  the  same  precise  thought  by  differ- 
ent persons  necessitates  the  same  collocation  of  the 
words. 

It  was  apparent  to  the  authors  just  referred  to,  as  it 
has  been,  and  is,  to  many  others,  that  language  must 
in  itself  involve  the  means  of  certainty  as  to  its  mean- 
ing. Hence  the  maxims  of  Ernesti  that — "  The  sense 
of  words  depends  on  the  usus  loquendV — "That  the 
grammatical  sense  is  the  only  true  one" — and  "That 
language  can  be  properly  interpreted  only  in  a  philo- 
logical way."  On  the  first  of  these,  that  the  sense  of 
words  depends  on  the  usus  loquendi — he  says  :  "  This 
must  be  the  case,  because  the  sense  of  words  is  conven- 
tional, and  regulated  wholly  by  usage.  Usage  then 
being  understood,  the  sense  of  words  is  of  course  un- 
derstood." This  is  good  as  far  as  it  goes.  But  there 
is  something  back  of  usage  which  controls  that  and 
makes  it  as  uniform  as  the  particular  thoughts  are 
which  are  expressed  by  different  persons.  The  voli- 
tion and  act  of  the  mind  in  thinking  and  in  expressing 


OF  THE   IIOLY  SCRIPTURES.  27 o 

its  thoughts  in  the  words  in  which  it  conceives  them, 
as  certainly  limits  and  fixes  the  meaning  of  the  words 
and  the  ground  or  rule  of  usage,  as  it  prescribes  the 
verbs,  nouns,  and  other  parts  of  speech,  and  the  num- 
ber, case,  gender,  mood,  tense,  and  other  particulars 
which  are  comprised  in  each  sentence. 

Just  in  proportion,  or  degree,  that  men  clearly  con- 
ceive their  thoughts,  they  conceive  and  express  them 
in  words  which  clearly  and  precisely  signify  and  con- 
vey them.  Their  words  are  their  thoughts  made  visi- 
ble. The  particular  words  which  they  use  are  neces- 
sary to  the  precise  thoughts  which  they  conceive.  The 
writer  recalls  several  elucidations  of  this  which  have 
fallen  under  his  own  observation,  a  particular  reference 
to  one  or  two  of  which  may  be  more  to  the  present 
purpose  than  a  general  allusion  to  the  great  authors 
who,  in  metaphysics  and  philosophy,  have,  at  different 
periods,  so  effectually  conveyed  their  thoughts  in  their 
words  as  thereby  to  rule  the  world.  At  an  interview 
with  the  late  Rev.  Robert  Hall,  in  1817,  pursuant  to  a 
request  from  Rev.  Dr.  Ebenczer  Porter,  (himself  a  good 
example  of  lucid  thought  and  diction,)  I  asked  Mr. 
Hall  whether  it  was  his  custom  to  write  his  discourses 
before  he  preached  them.  He  replied  that  he  wholly 
eschewed  that  practice.  I  asked  him  how  it  was,  then, 
that  he  could  perfectly  remember,  and  afterwards  com- 
mit to  writing,  the  very  words  he  had  used  in  preach- 
ing ?  He  said  that  it  was  his  habit  to  premeditate  and 
fix  in  due  order  in  his  mind,  the  leading  and  the  sub- 
ordinate thoughts  which  he  intended  to  express,  and 
that  he  could  not  express  those  thoughts,  naturally  and 
without  difficulty,  by  any  other  words  than  those  which 


276  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

he  used  in  speaking — retaining  the  thoughts  therefore, 
he  had  no  difficulty  in  remembering  the  words,  if  he 
had  occasion  afterwards  to  write  them.  Such  were 
the  terms  of  the  explanation.  The  reader  can  judge 
how  far  it  would  have  been  more  complete,  had  an- 
other aspect  of  the  subject  engaged  his  attention,  and 
had  he  said:  "In  premeditating,  speaking,  and  writ- 
ing, I  naturally  and  of  course,  employ  certain  words, 
because  it  is  in  those  words  that  I  conceive  the  thoughts 
which  I  desire  and  purpose  to  express ;  and  should  I 
use  other  words,  I  should  not  express  those  thoughts." 
This  is  really  implied  in  the  answer  which  he  gave ;  as 
it  was  in  the  brief  review  and  criticism,  which,  in  the 
course  of  the  interview,  he  expressed,  of  several  Ameri- 
can writers,  whom  he  had  attentive^  read.  Of  one 
of  these,  whose  themes  were  of  the  highest  possible 
interest,  he  said  :  "  He  fails  to  give  his  leading  thoughts 
and  topics  their  due  relative  conspicuity ;  he  exhibits  a 
succession  of  cascades,  but  no  cataracts — his  march, 
though  onward,  is  in  the  measured  monotony  of  a  dead 
level."  Supposing  this  to  be  a  just  observation,  it  im- 
plies that  the  author  in  question  did  not,  in  writing, 
adhere  to  the  words  in  which  he  naturally  and  freely 
first  conceived  his  thoughts,  but  was  restrained  by  Lis 
notions  of  rhetoric  and  taste,  and  in  the  act  of  compo- 
sition labored  to  translate  his  thoughts  into  other  less 
varied  and  less  expressive  words.  Of  another  author 
he  said:  "His  thoughts  are  stifled  and  buried  in  an 
endless  multitude  of  words."  To  illustrate  this,  he 
referred  to  a  visit  he  had  then  recently  received  from 
Dr.  John  M.  Mason,  when  the  conversation  turned  on 
the  theological  writers  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  277 

centuries.  Dr.  Mason  extolled  Dr.  Owen  as  the  prince 
and  model;  and,  as  the  climax  of  his  eulogy,  said: 
"  He  dug  deep."  To  which,  said  Mr.  Hall,  "  I  answer- 
ed, that  if  he  did,  it  came  up  muddy ;"  that  is,  con- 
fi-  '1  and  obscured  by  excess  of  words. 

Some  years  after  this  occurrence,  being  at  Washing- 
ton while  Mr.  Webster  was  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  I  called  on  him  one  morning  shortly 
before  the  regular  hour  of  the  daily  session.  He  had 
just  been  requested  to  draw  up  an  amendment  to  a  bill 
then  under  discussion.  The  subject  was  so  new,  and 
so  complieated  in  its  relations  to  existing  statutes,  that, 
as  I  afterwards  learnt,  it  had  for  several  weeks  baffled 
the  efforts  of  the  proper  committee.  After  some  desul- 
tory conversation,  he  desired  me  to  take  a  pen  and 
write  what  he  had  occasion  to  prepare  before  going  to 
the  House.  I  accordingly  wrote  his  words  and  points  of 
interpunction  as  he  slowly  dictated,  till  I  had  filled 
three  pages  of  letter  paper.  He  then  asked  me  to  read 
it  over,  which  I  did  without  vocally  announcing 
punctuation.  He  asked  whether  at  the  end  of  a 
certain  clause  I  had  placed  a  comma  or  a  semicolon. 
On  being  answered,  without  farther  question,  or  even 
reading  the  paper  himself,  he  said,  That  will  do — that 
is  right.  The  House  being  now  in  session,  he  went 
immediately  thither,  holding  the  paper  in  his  hand. 
On  entering  the  Hall — the  debate  having  just  com- 
menced— he  at  once  offered  the  amendment,  which  was 
read,  accepted,  and  without  opposition  or  the  alteration 
of  a  word  or  point,  was  incorporated  in  the  bill  and 
passed.  I  afterwards  repeatedly  examined  that  com- 
position without  being  able  to  detect  an   Instance  in 


278  THE   PLENARY  INSPIKATION 

which  a  word  could  be  dropped  and  replaced  by  an- 
other, or  be  transposed,  or  subjected  to  any  modifica- 
tion as  a  part  of  speech,  without  palpably  vitiating  the 
sense — as  palpably,  I  may  say,  as  the  results  of  an 
arithmetical  calculation  would  be  vitiated  by  a  change 
or  transposition  of  the  elementary  figures.  Let  the 
reader  imagine  the  subject  to  have  had  immediate  con- 
nection with  the  public  revenue  of  the  country ;  to 
have  involved  a  privilege  directly  affecting  the  con- 
trol of  the  officers  of  the  Customs  over  commodities 
subject  to  impost,  and  to  have  touched  on  the  one 
hand,  points  distinctly  prominent  in  existing  statutes, 
and  on  the  other,  points  in  which  frauds,  evasions,  jea- 
lousies, and  litigation  had  become  familiar  ;  and  he  may 
conceive  what  comprehensive  and  exact  knowledge  of 
existing  laws,  what  knowledge  of  words  and  of  legal 
terms  and  constructions,  what  knowledge  of  human 
nature  as  requiring,  and  as  capable  of  statutory  re- 
straint, what  clear  conceptions  of  thoughts  in  words 
which  perfectly  expressed  them,  and  words  so  collo- 
cated as  unmistakably  to  define  and  fix  their  sense, 
were  implied  in  such  an  impromptu  effusion. 

The  power  by  which  we  think,  and  choose  the  sub- 
ject of  thought  at  pleasure,  and  by  which  we  express 
our  thoughts  in  words,  recalls  to  memory  and  collo- 
cates the  words  in  which  we  think.  The  process  of 
thinking  (where  words  are  not  immediately  received 
by  hearing  or  reading)  includes  the  memory,  selection, 
appropriation,  and  collocation  of  the  requisite  words. 
Were  that  process  audible,  we  should  hear  the  words 
(sounds)  which,  when  vocally  pronounced,  express  our 
thoughts  to  others  ;  as,  in  the  most  rapid  elocution  of 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  279 

an  impassioned  speaker  his  words  are  beard  all  but 
simultaneously  with  bis  conception  of  tbe  thoughts 
which  they  express ;  as,  also,  whether  sleeping  or 
awake,  we  are  conscious,  not  by  succession,  but  simul- 
taneously, of  our  thoughts  and  of  the  words  which  em- 
body and  contain  them ;  and,  as  we  remember  our 
thoughts  and  words,  not  separately,  but  conjointly,  as 
if  inseparable  and  identical.  Nor  is  this  any  more 
mysterious  or  incredible,  than  that  we  should  have  the 
power  of  thinking,  of  conceiving  thoughts  in  an  orderly 
succession  conformably  to  the  grammatical  collocation 
of  words  in  sentences,  and  to  the  literal  or  deflected 
use  of  words  and  the  relations  of  time,  case,  and  num- 
ber ;  or  than  that  we  should  have  the  power  of  ex- 
pressing our  thoughts  vocally  in  words,  however  sup- 
plied, or  of  representing  them  by  writing. 

Every  provision  of  man's  constitution  as  realized  to 
his  own  consciousness,  and  as  revealed  in  his  percep- 
tion and  experience  of  external  things,  implies  a  sub- 
sistence of  which  those  provisions  are  attributes,  and 
which  is  adequate  to  all  the  phenomena  of  thought,  per- 
ception, intuition,  emotion,  memory,  consciousness,  and 
voluntary  action  ;  and  demonstrates  that  he  was  created 
to  be  a  thinking,  social,  and  accountable  agent,  and 
was  therefore  endowed  with  the  prerequisites  and  con- 
ditions of  thought  and  of  expression.  How  he  exer- 
cises his  faculties  in  thinking,  and  thinking  in  words 
only  ;  how  many  provisions  of  his  constitution  are 
tasked  in  that  exercise  ;  how  through  his  vocal  organs 
he  is  enabled  to  express  a  variety  of  different  sounds 
in  articulating  syllables,  and  in  musical  notes,  and  to 
utter  at  will   any  one  of  those  sounds  in  distinction 


280  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

from  the  rest,  or  all  of  them  in  regular  succession  ;  or 
what  the  relation  is  between  those  sounds  and  the 
thoughts  which  he  intelligibly  and  perfectly  expresses 
by  them,  and  how  they  originate  and  indissolubly 
adhere  together,  as  he  is  conscious  of  them,  and  as  he 
remembers  and  vocally  expresses  them? — these  and 
a  thousand  similar  questions  can  be  answered  only  by 
the  omniscient  and  all-perfect  Creator. 

There  is,  then,  in  the  constitution  of  man,  a  capacity 
or  basis  for  the  knowledge  and  use  of  language,  as 
being  essential  to  his  social  existence,  and  to  his  moral 
and  religious  character,  relations,  and  duties.  Lan- 
guage is  a  condition  of  his  being  as  a  thinking,  volun- 
tary agent,  and  has  its  elements  in  his  constitution  and 
organization.  Hence  the  limited  number  of  sounds 
and  articulations  of  which  he  is  capable,  and  the  power 
of  selecting,  appropriating,  and  collocating  those 
sounds  in  the  process  of  thought.  The  power  by 
which  he  thinks,  is  the  same  power  by  which,  at  the 
same  time,  he  selects  and  collocates  the  sounds  required 
as  the  instrument  of  present  thoughts,  and  gives  them 
the  form  in  which  he  is  silently  conscious  of  them,  and 
in  which  he  articulates  them  by  vocal  expression. 
This  constituent  of  the  process  of  thinking  is  a  neces- 
sary coaction  of  the  soul.  It  belongs  to  the  thinking 
faculty  in  its  connection  with  the  primitive  constitu- 
tional cognitions  and  intuitions  of  the  soul.  Hence  the 
instantaneousness  of  the  coaction  and  of  our  conscious- 
ness of  what  we  think ;  and  the  fact  that  invariably  we 
are  conscious  of  thinking  in  words ;  and  the  further 
fact,  that  in  learning  language  and  acquiring  new 
thoughts,  we  of  necessity  first  learn  the  meaning  of 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  281 

the  words  in  which  they  are  expressed  vocally  • 
writing.     We  can  no  more  receive  new  thoughts,  from 
dead  or  living  tongues,  without  first  learning  the  sig- 
nification of  the  words  in  which  they  are  expn 
than  we  can  think  and  be  conscious  of  our  thoughts 
independently  of  words. 

Now,  the  source  of  corruption,  in  the  selection  and 
use  of  words,  is  in  the  perversion  of  the  will  and 
the  perversion  or  repression  of  the  native  cognitions 
and  beliefs ;  as  happens  in  all  cases  in  which,  the 
will  being  corrupt,  and  the  cherished  standard  of 
right  and  wrong  being  erroneous,  the  decisions  of  con- 
science are  on  the  side  of  error.  And  as  in  all  such 
cases  language  is  assumed  to  be  defective,  equivocal, 
and  uncertain;  and  the  laws  of  spoken  and  written 
language  are  disregarded  :  so  on  the  other  hand,  when 
the  will  is  renewed  and  rectified,  and  Divine  truths 
concerning  the  perfections  and  works  of  the  Creator 
and  llcdeemcr  are  presented  to  the  awakened  mind, 
perceptions,  not  predicable  of  the  intellect  alone,  of 
Divine  beauty,  excellency,  and  glory,  in  those  perfec- 
tions and  works,  are  discerned  and  realized  to  the  con- 
sciousness. In  the  regeneration  of  men,  accordingly, 
the  soul,  the  subsistence  which  underlies  intellectual 
perception,  emotion,  and  consciousness,  is  the  Bubjecl 
of  that  Divine  illumination,  and  that  effective  influ- 
ence of  the  Holy  Spirit  which,  employing  Divine  truth 
as  its  only  instrument,  changes  the  heart,  opens  tin- 
eyes  of  the  mind,  rouses  its  dormant  or  perverted  intu- 
itions and  beliefs,  purities  the  springs  of  action,  sub- 
dues and  rectifies  the  will,  and  thus  engenders  new 
affections,  new  apprehensions  of  truth,  new  tastes  and 


282  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

feelings,  new  hopes,  desires,  and  aspirations ;  and  on 
the  one  hand,  new  perceptions  of  the  beauty,  excel- 
lency, and  glory  of  Divine  realities,  of  holiness,  of 
righteousness,  of  the  moral  law,  of  the  Gospel,  of  the 
Divine  perfections,  of  the  person,  the  love,  and  all  the 
offices  and  works  of  Christ ;  and  on  the  other,  new 
views  and  feelings  concerning  the  guilt  of  sin  and  the 
misery  and  just  condemnation  of  sinners. 

It  is  hence  obvious,  that  a  revelation  of  the  Divine 
thoughts  in  words  is  in  harmony  with  the  intellectual 
and  moral  nature  of  man ;  that  the  inspired  words  must 
infallibly  convey  the  thoughts  intended  to  be  revealed, 
since  it  is  truth  only  as  revealed  in  Scripture  which 
is  Divinely  employed  in  the  illumination  and  regene- 
ration of  men;  and  that  the  true  meaning  of  the 
words  of  Scripture  must  of  necessity,  in  order  to  the 
requisite  change,  be  rightly  understood,  that  men  may 
conceive  and  be  conscious  of  the  revealed  thoughts,  in 
the  words  with  which  they  were  inspired. 

The  process  above  indicated  is  accordingly  implied, 
in  those  passages  of  Scripture  which  affirm  of  man  in 
his  natural  state,  that  he  is  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins ; 
that  his  state  is  that  of  one  in  darkness,  blindness, 
under  the  dominion  of  evil,  led  captive  by  Satan ;  that 
his  mind,  understanding,  heart,  will,  are  darkened, 
blinded,  corrupted,  hardened,  carnal,  reprobate :  and 
those  passages  which  speak  of  men  being  turned 
from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan 
unto  God,  of  the  eyes  of  their  understanding  being  en- 
lightened, of  their  being  born  again  of  the  Spirit  by 
the  Word,  of  their  being  taught  of  God,  renewed  in  His 
image,  and  brought  from  hating  to  love  and  obey  llim. 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  288 

The  manner  of  this  change  is  in  some  respects  de- 
scribed. God,  who  commanded  the  light  to  shine  out 
of  darkness,  shines  in  their  hearts,  to  give  the  light  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  eyes  of  their  understanding  being  en- 
lightened, they  know  what  is  the  hope  of  His  calling, 
and  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  His  inheritance  in 
the  saints,  and  beholding  in  the  Inspired  Word,  as  in 
a  glass,  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  they  are  changed  into 
the  same  image,  from  glory  to  glory,  as  by  the  spirit  of 
the  Lord. 

Let  those  who  imagine  that  too  much  stress  is  laid 
on  the  verbal  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures,  consider, 
that  in  respect  to  creatures,  words  are  the  medium  of 
moral  influence:  they  are  the  medium  of  Satan's  influ- 
ence. By  words  he  deceived  the  first  parents  of  the 
race.  By  words  he  essayed  to  tempt  the  second  Adam. 
By  l}'ing  and  deceitful  words,  enticing  words  of  man's 
wisdom,  words  of  craft  and  subtlety,  he  instigated  the 
false  philosophies,  false  doctrines,  false  worships,  idola- 
tries, witchcrafts,  blasphemies,  and  impieties  of  all  past 
times.  So  now.  Throughout  the  realms  of  Atheism, 
Pantheism,  Deism,  Romanism,  Paganism,  Mohammed- 
ism,  by  his  influence,  verbal  dogmas,  formulas,  pre- 
scriptions, define  the  faith,  excite  the  zeal,  and  inflame 
the  hopes  and  fears,  the  passions  and  emotions  of  the 
devotees.  At  present  in  the  regions  of  Protestantism, 
as  if  to  precipitate  a  crisis,  the  leading  forms  of  specula- 
tive error  and  delusion  seem  to  be  ranging  themselves 
under  two  principal  banners;  that  of  Monistic  panthi  - 
ism,  and  that  rising  exhalation  which  lias  for  its  dei 
native,  the  'positive  philosophy:'  and  as  if  to  signalize 


284  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION. 

the  subtlety  and  craft  of  Satan,  these  two  forms  are,  in 
their  principles,  postulates,  and  reasonings,  wholly  an- 
tagonist to  each  other,  while  they  issue  alike  in  un- 
qualified atheism ;  so  that  those  who  are  revolted,  by 
the  unmasked  denial  of  a  God,  in  the  positive  philoso- 
phy, and  its  rejection,  as  unknowable  and  unreal,  of  all 
existences  and  all  phenomena  which  are  not  percepti- 
ble by  the  senses,  may  be  deceived  and  caught  by  the 
mask  of  perverted  words  and  conceited  faith,  which 
slightly  veils  the  atheism  of  the  other.  Under  these 
banners  the  conflict  against  Truth  is  plainly  manifest, 
both  in  some  churches,  and  in  the  literary,  socialistic, 
and  humanitarian  worlds,  in  false  theories  of  liberty, 
equality,  fraternity,  human  rights,  government,  faith, 
and  morality,  and  in  the  excitements,  agitations,  and 
fanaticisms  which  aim  to  subvert  the  institutions  and 
cast  off  the  restraints  both  of  natural  and  revealed  re- 
ligion, and  to  abolish  those  of  political  and  social  or- 
ganizations. 

There  is  a  large  class  of  critics  and  readers,  whose 
religious  hopes  are  founded  in  their  social  relations 
with  some  form  of  Protestantism,  who  hold  that  those 
important  religious  truths  of  the  Bible  which  they 
conceive  to  have  been  inspired  are  not  only  extant  and 
objects  of  contemplation  independently  of  words — 
whether  the  words  of  the  Sacred  Text  or  others — but 
exempt  from  liability  to  be  affected  by  any  words. 
They  are,  in  the  phrase  of  such  critics,  '  word-trans- 
cending ideas,  whose  golden  light  is  not  incarnated  in 
the  corruptibilities  of  perishing  syllables,'  but  is  spiritu- 
ally inspired ;  and  that  inspiration  is  deemed  to  be 
common  to  all  who  apprehend  or  receive  the  truths. 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  285 

They  are  imagined  to  discern  or  conceive  those  truths 
which  they  deem  to  be  essentially  religious,  by  spiritual 
intuition,  illumination,  or  inspiration,  such  as  poets  and 
novelists  exhibit. 

This  conceit,  of  course,  brings  all  that  they  suppose 
to  be  essential  or  peculiar  to  revealed  religion,  within 
their  personal  control.  For  their  spiritual  intuitions 
being  subject  to  no  verbal  restraints,  are  simply  such 
emotions,  feelings,  fancies,  as  arise  from  the  state  of 
their  hearts,  and  may  be  as  indefinitely  various  and 
contradictory  as  their  notions  and  likes  or  dislikes 
upon  other  subjects.  The  words  of  Scripture  may  in 
some  instances  seem  to  express  the  supposed  inspired 
truths  as  far  as  human  language  can  do  it,  and  in  other 
instances  may  wholly  fail ;  but  language,  whether  in 
or  out  of  Scripture,  is  no  certain  exponent  or  criterion 
of  them.  They  are  fancied  to  be  independent  of  words. 
What  they  are,  therefore,  each  one  must  determine  for 
himself,  by  his  own  inward  light.  As  they  are  not 
conceived  in  words,  they  can  not  with  any  certaim  v 
be  verbally  expressed.  Though  assumed  to  be  con- 
tained in  the  Scriptures,  the  words  of  Scripture  are  in 
no  respect  essential  to  them:  'An  inspiration,'  say 
they,  '  attaches  to  these  truths  as  they  are  delivered  in 
the  Scriptures :  but  that  inspiration  attaches  not  to  the 
words  and  phrases  of  Scripture.'  How,  then,  it  is  ob- 
vious to  ask,  do  they  know,  of  on  what  ground  do  they 
believe,  that  the  truths  in  question  were  inspired  ? 
IIow,  indeed,  do  they  know  that  the  truths  which  they 
supposed  to  have  been  inspired,  are  contained  in  the 
Bible,  if  the  words  of  the  text  do  not  express  them 
exactly  and  perfectly? — and  express  those  particular 
truths  in  distinction  from  all  others? 


286  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

The  bald  assumption  of  this  theory  is,  that  the  words 
of  the  original  text  did  not  with  certainty,  absolute 
certainty,  or  any  specific  degree  of  certainty,  express 
the  so-called  inspired  truths.  The  reasons  assigned 
for  this  assumption  are  :  1st.  That  words  are  variable, 
corruptible,  evanescent  — ■  neither  capable,  safe,  nor 
durable  repositories  of  such  important  truths.  2d.  That 
if  the  words  of  the  text  do  actually  contain  the  inspired 
truths,  then  the  words  are  as  truly  inspired  as  the 
truths  themselves,  and  therefore,  it  must  be  held  that 
translators,  or  the  words  employed  by  translators,  must 
be  inspired,  in  order  to  their  being  regarded  as  contain- 
ing and  expressing  the  inspired  truths. 

Such  reasoning  deserves  a  moment's  attention,  only 
as  showing  on  what  grounds  those  who  reject  the  ple- 
nary inspiration  of  the  sacred  writings,  can  be  content 
to  risk  their  hopes. 

1st.  It  is  obvious  to  remark,  that  if  the  words  of  the 
original  Text  of  Scripture  did  not  explicitly  and  infal- 
libly represent  and  convey  the  inspired  truths,  then 
we  can  not  determine  from  the  Bible,  what  any  of  those 
truths  were.  Every  man  is  shut  up  to  his  own  inward 
light,  spiritual  inspiration,  or  intuition.  The  words  of 
the  Bible  are  no  criterion  of  what  was  Divinely  In- 
spired. The  Bible  is  no  Eule  of  faith  and  life  to  him. 
It  can  not  aid  him,  or  be  of  use  to  him.  It  can  not  but 
mislead  him. 

2d.  If  the  words  of  the  text  do  not  perfectly  and 
infallibly  express  those  truths,  then  no  other  words 
can  be  relied  on  to  express  them.  If  the  Bible  con- 
tains certain  inspired  truths,  and  if  the  words  written 
to  express  them  by  those  whom  the  Omniscient  Spirit 


OF   TIIE   HOLY   SCRIPTURES.  287 

employed  to  write  them,  do  not  truly  and  infallibly 
express  the  truths,  and  for  the  reason  that  language  ifl 
unstable  and  incompetent,  then  surely  no  words  se- 
lected by  other  men,  can  so  express  those  truths  ;  and 
therefore,  they  can  not  be  stated  in  words;  and  there- 
fore, can  not  be  contained  in  the  Bible.  One  man  can 
not  tell  another  what  those  truths  are.  He  can  not  in 
words  convey  his  own  conceptions  of  them.  A  Christ- 
ian "man  can  not  tell  a  heathen  what  they  are.  Of 
course  all  who  flatter  themselves  that  they  know  what 
those  truths  are,  must  imagine  that  they  know  them 
by  some  kind  of  inspiration  without  words,  and  their 
faith  must  rest  not  on  the  Divine  authority,  but  on 
their  own  inward  personal  inspiration. 

3d.  On  this  ground  it  is  plain  that  translations  from 
the  original,  however  accurately  and  faithfully  made, 
can  neither  have  any  authority,  nor  be  of  any  use  to- 
wards a  discovery  of  the  truths  in  question.  The 
words  of  a  translation  can  no  more  convey  those  truths 
than  the  words  of  the  original.  Translations  are,  in- 
deed, but  mockery  and  nonsense.  Moreover,  the  same 
conclusion  respecting  the  uncertainty  and  inadequacv 
of  language,  is  as  applicable  to  all  other  books,  as  to 
the  Bible.  If  the  words  employed  do  not  express  with 
certainty  the  inspired  truths  which  they  purport  to 
convey,  then  the  words  of  a  secular  history,  a  statute 
law,  or  an  oral  discourse  between  individuals,  can  not 
be  regarded  as  expressing  what  they  are  employed  to 
express.  That  which  men  have  always  taken  to  be 
the  instrument  of  conveying  their  thoughts  to  each 
other,  is  a  mere  deception.  What  they  write,  and 
what  they  say,  docs  not,  nay,  can  not  express  their 


288  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

thoughts  to  one  another.  They  know  each  other's 
thoughts  only  as  they  know  inspired  truths,  by  a  silent 
internal  inspiration.  Their  eyes,  ears,  and  vocal  or- 
gans, are  alike  superfluous,  useless,  or  injurious. 

4th.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  precisely  and  solely  be- 
cause the  words,  idioms,  and  grammatical  arrangements 
of  the  original  texts,  perfectly  and  infallibly  express 
the  inspired  truths  contained  in  the  Bible,  that  unin- 
spired versions — translations  into  the  equivalent  words, 
phrases,  and  collocations  of  other  tongues,  express  the 
same  truths,  and  have  authority  in  proportion  to  their 
fidelity.  The  words  of  the  originals  are  an  infallible 
standard  ;  and  such  is  the  perfection  of  language  as  the 
instrument  and  vehicle  of  thought,  that  when  the  ori- 
ginal words  are  so  well  understood  that  the  thoughts 
which  they  convey  are  clearly  conceived  in  them,  and 
the  equivalent  words  of  the  version  so  well  under- 
stood that  the  same  thoughts  are  clearly  conceived  in 
them,  the  latter  words  will  as  perfectly  convey  those 
thoughts  to  those  to  whom  those  words  are  vernacular, 
as  the  originals  conveyed  the  same  to  those  who  spoke 
the  original  tongues,  and  were  contemporary  with  the 
sacred  writers.  If  the  translator,  from  incompetency, 
or  from  dishonesty,  does  not  select  words  which  as 
clearly  express  the  same  thoughts  as  the  original  words, 
then  his  version  is  so  far  imperfect  and  erroneous.  He 
needs  more  instruction  and  more  integrity ;  but  he  no 
more  needs  inspiration  to  enable  him  to  convey  in  the 
words  of  another  tongue,  the  thoughts  expressed  in 
Greek  and  Hebrew  words,  than  a  scholar  needs  inspir- 
ation to  enable  him  to  express  in  English  the  thoughts 
conveyed  in  Latin  by  Thucydides,  or  than  a  child  needs 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  289 

to  be  inspired  to  understand  the  simplest  monosyllables 
of  the  parent.  The  fact,  therefore,  that  the  Greek 
Septuagint,  the  Samaritan  Pentateuch,  the  Latin  Vul- 
gate, or  any  other  version,  does  not  in  every  particular 
express  precisely  the  thoughts  which  the  original  words 
express,  is  no  proof,  either  that  the  original  words  do 
not  perfectly  and  infallibly  express  the  inspired  thoughts, 
<>r  that  Inspiration  is  necessary  to  the  clear  expression 
of  those  thoughts  in  other  tongues. 

All  the  piquant  and  puerile  things  which  have  been 
written  to  impeach  the  plenary  inspiration  and  Divine 
authority  of  the  Scriptures,  on  the  ground  of  the  im- 
perfection of  human  language,  are  alike  offensive  for 
the  ignorance,  the  sinister  motives,  and  the  hypocrisy 
which  they  betray.  'If,'  says  the  expositor  who  affects 
to  think  independently  of  words,  '  if  the  words  of  the 
original  texts  were  Divinely  inspired,  and  therefore  in- 
fallibly expressed  the  inspired  thoughts  of  Scripture, 
then,  1st,  the  countless  translators  of  the  Bible,  and  of 
particular  books,  chapters,  verses,  and  words,  must  be 
in  like  manner  inspired,  or  it  will  be  impossible  to  dis- 
tinguish correct  from  false  translations ;  and,  2d,  the 
translators  must  be  inspired  to  distinguish  between 
genuine  and  false  readings  of  the  original  texts  ;  and, 
3d,  every  reader  of  translations  must  be  inspired  to 
select  the  most  correct  translation,  and  to  distinguish 
between  what  is,  and  what  is  not  correct  in  the  version 
of  his  native  tongue.'  Now  all  this  is  as  preposterous 
as  to  say  that  words  have  no  meaning ;  that  it  is  not 
their  nature  and  office  to  express  thoughts ;  and  that 
the  pretended  expositor  does  not  employ  words  to  ex- 
press his  own  thoughts.     What  he  says,  is  equivalent 

13 


290  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

to  saying  that  the  defects  of  a  translation,  or  copy, 
can  not  be  detected  by  comparing  it  with  the  original ; 
for  when  pressed  by  the  authority  of  the  collators  of 
the  originals,  he  is  forced  to  admit  that  the  various 
readings  nowhere  convey  a  different  sense.  They  are 
designed,  honest,  or  inadvertent  substitutions  of  equi- 
valent for  original  words.  The  copyist,  having  a  clear 
conception  of  the  inspired  thoughts  in  the  words  he 
was  to  copy,  occasionally  wrote  synonymous  words  in 
place  of  those  in  his  text,  and  to  that  extent  became  a 
translator. 

All  theoretical  and  practical  deviations  from  truth, 
begin  and  are  nourished  by  deviations  in  thought  and 
in  the  words  in  which  thoughts  are  conceived  and  ex- 
pressed. They  are  essentially  violations  of  truth — lies. 
No  lie  is  of  the  truth.  He  who  thinks  truth,  necessa- 
rily thinks  it  in  words  which  express  it  as  perfectly  as 
the  thought  exists  in  the  mind.  Thought  can  not 
transcend  consciousness.  We  are  conscious  of  thoughts 
and  conceive,  derive,  remember,  and  express  them,  only 
in  the  words  which  are  their  exact  pattern,  medium, 
vehicle,  and  representative. 

Those  writers,  therefore,  who  found  their  heresies 
upon  false  notions  of  language,  assuming  that  words 
are  signs  of  things,  and,  with  respect  to  all  but  a  few 
of  the  objects  of  sense,  are  inadequate,  uncertain,  em- 
ployed figuratively  without  any  known  or  conceivable 
reason,  but  at  random,  merely  to  adapt  themselves  to 
the  countless  variety  of  real  and  imaginary  things  and 
their  qualities  and  relations,  are  either  unconscious  of 
what  they  do,  or  are  deliberate  violaters  of  truth. 
"Words  are  neither  signs  of  things,  nor  merely  signs  of 


OF  THE   HOLY   SCIUPTUKES.  291 

thought.  They  are  the  matrix  and  vesture  of  thought ; 
and  hence  the  inspired  words  of  Scripture,  which  per- 
fectly expressed  the  Eevealer's  thoughts,  arc  as  infalli- 
ble as  the  thoughts  which  they  express. 

Those  writers  also  who  derive  their  theology  not 
from  the  written  Scriptures,  but  from  their  own  emo- 
tions, intuitions,  feelings,  experience,  who  treat  the 
words  of  Scripture  as  words  of  fallible  and  uncertain 
speculation,  to  be  construed  according  to  fancy  by  an 
old,  or  by  the  newest  system  of  philosophy,  and  make 
their  inward  experience  the  standard  of  faith,  are  equal- 
ly violators  of  truth,  under  strong  delusion  to  believe 
a  lie.  For  their  emotional  experience  can  be  no  fur- 
ther religious  and  Christian  than  it  conforms  to  truth 
as  revealed  in  Scripture ;  and  none  of  their  emotions, 
no  part  of  such  religious  experience  precedes,  but  in- 
dubitably is  the  consequence  of  the  perception  or  ap- 
prehension of  Scripture  truths.  The  standard,  there- 
fore, is  of  necessity  in  the  truths  perceived,  and  not  in 
the  emotions  which  are  awakened  by  the  perception. 
But.those  truths  which  are  perceived  and  which  excite 
corresponding  religious  emotions,  are  expressed  in  the 
inspired  words  of  Scripture,  and  are,  therefore,  an  in- 
fallible standard  of  faith  and  life.  They  change  not, 
and  no  man  can  be  guiltless,  who  adds  to  or  takes  from 
the  words  in  which  they  were  inspired. 

The  Scriptures,  therefore,  if  received  as  at  all  in- 
spired, and  of  Divine  authority,  must  be  received  as 
wholly  inspired,  and  of  infallible  authority  as  the  rule 
of  faith  and  life.  There  is  no  medium.  If  they  .  •  I 
not  wholly  inspired,  and  equally  of  absolute  authority, 
there  would  be  no  infallible  standard  to  appeal  to.     If 


292  THE  PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

any  portion  of  them  was  uninspired  and  without  in- 
fallible Divine  authority,  no  conclusive  evidence  could 
be  exhibited  to  show  that  every  portion  of  them  was 
not  of  that  character ;  and  no  two  men  would  be  found 
to  agree  as  to  any  particular  concerning  faith  and  life, 
and  no  one  could  quote  them  as  final  against  any  error. 
They  were  given  by  the  Creator  and  Judge  of  men,  to 
be  an  infallible  rule  of  faith  and  life,  and  on  them  as 
such,  the  present  welfare  and  eternal  destiny  of  men 
depend.  It  being  impossible  from  the  natures  and  ca- 
pacities of  creatures,  and  especially  fallen  creatures,  for 
them  to  discover  or  give  authority  to  their  truths,  the 
Creator  Himself  inspired  them  into  the  minds  of  those 
whom  He  commanded  to  write  them.  He  inspired 
them  in  a  manner  consistent  with  the  nature,  constitu- 
tion, capacities,  and  circumstances  of  man,  employing 
the  vehicle  which  men  are  gifted  to  employ,  in  their 
intercourse  with  Him,  and  with  one  another ;  words, 
by  which  His  thoughts  are  realized  to  their  conscious- 
ness, as  by  words  they  become  conscious  of,  remember, 
and  express  their  own  thoughts.  They  intelligibly 
express  His  thoughts,  and  for  the  most  part,  in  words 
by  which  He  had  vocally  uttered  them  to  the  Sacred 
Penmen,  or  to  others.  They  perfectly  involve  His  in- 
finite authority,  for  they  record  the  laws,  covenants, 
promises,  injunctions,  prohibitions,  announced  by  Him 
for  the  government  of  men,  and  according  to  which 
He  administers  His  government  and  providence  over 
men.  They  are  sanctioned  by  the  entire  history  of 
His  providence  and  grace,  by  miracles,  by  predictions 
and  their  fulfillment,  and  by  the  facts  and  experience 
of  human  history.     They  contain  His  declarations  that . 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  293 

they  are  His  word,  that  they  were  inspired  by  Him, 
that  His  Spirit  spake  by  the  writers,  that  they  an  in- 
fallible, that  their  authority  can  not  be  annulled,  thai 
they  endure  forever,  and  that  a  cordial  reception  and 
belief  of  them,  and  obedience  to  them,  is  the  condition 
of  acceptable  homage  to  Him,  and  of  the  attainment 
of  the  blessings  of  salvation  and  eternal  life.  "Well, 
therefore,  may  fallen  man,  ignorant,  corrupt,  and  in- 
competent as  he  is,  subject  to  so  many  errors,  concern  - 
ing  himself,  and  every  thing  around  him,  enthralled 
by  so  many  prejudices,  evil  affections,  and  blinding 
influences :  well  may  he  impute  to  his  own  defect  of 
knowledge  and  discernment  the  difficulties  which  a 
prurient  and  factitious  criticism  may  suggest  concern- 
ing the  contents,  phraseology,  and  arrangement  of  the 
sacred  text,  and  view  as  unfounded,  or  as  insignificant 
and  harmless,  the  alleged  discrepancies  in  letters,  syl- 
lables, and  words. 

If  the  original  words  of  the  sacred  text  were  not 
inspired  with  the  thoughts  which  were  inspired,  there 
seems  to  be  no  alternative  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
text  is  no  infallible  standard  of  what  was  revealed; 
and  that  our  faith  at  best,  rests,  to  what  extent  we 
know  not,  on  fallible  human  authority.  For  we  are 
nowhere  expressly  taught  that  such  an  influence  was 
exerted  on  the  minds  of  the  writers  as  infallibly  to 
secure  them  from  error  in  the  selection  of  words.  The 
inference  that  they  were  so  secured,  may  be  deemed  a 
necessary,  and  therefore,  a  credible  inference  from  the 
conviction  otherwise  arrived  at,  that  the  inspired  truths 
of  Scripture  as  expressed  in  the  text,  are  of  infallible 
authority.     But  that  inference  is  short  of  what  the  case 


294  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

admits  of,  and  of  what  a  case  of  such  importance  would 
seem  most  emphatically  to  demand.  Such  an  inference, 
as  the  ground  of  our  confidence  and  faith,  is  accordingly 
seen  to  be  superfluous  and  uncalled  for,  when  we  consider 
that  but  one  kind  and  degree  of  inspiration  is  affirmed 
in  the  Scriptures  themselves,  and  that  the  inspiration 
which  they  announce,  is  affirmed  not  of  the  men  who 
wrote,  but  of  that  which  they  wrote — the  words  which 
they  committed  to  writing.  All  Scripture  is  given  by 
inspiration  of  God.  Holy  men  of  God  spake  as  they 
were  moved  to  speak  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Spirit 
spake  by  the  prophets.  Such  are  the  inspired  attest- 
ations of  the  Scriptures  themselves. 

Moreover,  let  it  be  again  observed,  if  language  is  an 
uncertain  and  inadequate  medium  of  revelation — as  the 
partisans  of  unscriptural  theories  and  constructions  are 
obliged  to  maintain — and  if  the  inspired  words  do  not 
perfectly  express  the  thoughts  intended  to  be  revealed, 
then  we  must  of  necessity  depend  on  the  fallible  reason, 
and  the  uncertain  and  conflicting  vagaries  and  conjec- 
tures of  men.  But  if  the  inspired  words  are  as  perfect  a 
medium  of  the  inspired  and  infallible  thoughts  which 
they  are  employed  to  express,  as  the  uninspired  words 
of  men  are  to  express  the  thoughts  which  they  actually 
conceive  in  them,  and  of  which  they  are  conscious  as 
being  the  exact  measure,  counterpart,  and  echo  of  their 
thoughts,  and  in  which  only  they  perfectly  remember, 
articulate,  and  reveal  to  others  what  they  think,  then 
we  have  as  solid  and  unfailing  ground  of  confidence  in 
the  infallibility  of  the  Scriptures,  as  we  have  of  any 
thing  of  which  we  are  conscious.  Accordingly,  the 
1st  article  of  the  Westminster  Confession,  sec.  4,  that 


OF  THE  UOLY  BCRIPT1  ELES.  295 

"  The  authority  of  the  Holy  Scripture,  for  which  it 
ought  to  be  believed  and  obeyed,  dependeth  not  upon 
the  testimony  of  any  man  or  church,  but  wholly  upon 
God,  the  author  thereof;  and,  therefore,  it  is  to  be  re- 
ceived, because  it  is  the  word  of  God ;"  and,  sec.  2, 
that  the  canonical  books  collectively,  "are  given  1>\ 
inspiration  of  God,  to  be  the  rule  of  faith  and  life:" 
plainly  teaches,  that  the  words  of  the  original  texts 
were  inspired,  and  were  infallible  as  the  medium  of 
the  thoughts  revealed. 

Accordingly  the  Bible  claims  to  be,  and  is  a  perfect 
rule  of  faith  and  life  :  perfect  in  respect  to  its  compre- 
hensiveness and  sufficiency  for  all  exigencies  and  con- 
ditions ;  perfect  as  containing  the  infallible  thoughts 
of  the  Divine  Eevealer  in  words  which  perfectly  ex- 
pressed those  thoughts.  As  a  rule  of  faith  and  life,  it 
is  absolutely  necessary  to  man  in  all  his  moral  relati<  his, 
and  all  that  concerns  acceptable,  worship  of  the  true 
God  and  the  practical  duties  of  morality  and  religion. 
That  man  is  wholly  incompetent  to  originate  or  1 1 
ver  such  a  rule,  is  demonstrated  by  the  entire  history 
and  present  condition  of  the  race.  To  suppose  him 
competent  to  discover  a  rule  perfect  and  authoritative 
in  any  degree,  would  be,  indeed,  to  suppose  him  om- 
niscient. Even  with  the  aid  of  those  traditions  of  na- 
tural religion,  which  have  been  retained  by  the  pagan 
nations,  they  have  declined  in  the  utmost  degree  from 
the  doctrines  of  that  system,  and  in  no  instance  have 
thev,  or  any  single  philosopher  among  them,  suce- 
in  discovering  any  thing  beyond  those  doctrines.  The 
primeval  revelation  included,  all  the  doctrines  and  in- 
stitutions which  are,  or  can  properly  be  comprised  in 


296  THE  PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

natural  theology — the  system  necessary  to  man  as  such, 
irrespective  of  his  apostasy,  and  of  the  means  of  his 
renovation  and  redemption  ;  and  also,  the  doctrine-, 
ritual,  and  faith  which  were  necessary  to  acceptable 
worship.  Abel,  Enoch,  Noah,  and  others,  embraced 
and  obeyed  both  systems.  The  great  mass  of  the  ante- 
diluvian population,  following  the  example  of  Cain, 
who  was  of  the  wicked  one,  rejected  the  latter  of  the 
two,  and  violated  or  perverted  every  dictate  of  the 
former.  "  God  saw  that  the  wickedness  of  man  was 
great  in  the  earth,  and  that  every  imagination  of  the 
thoughts  of  his  heart  was  only  evil  continually. — The 
earth  was  filled  with  violence — all  flesh  had  corrupted 
his  way  upon  the  earth. — And  God  said,  I  will  destroy 
them  with  the  earth." 

From  the  rise  of  idolatry,  which,  after  the  deluge, 
was  rebuked  by  the  confusion  of  tongues,  the  Gentile 
nations  rejecting  the  primitive  faith,  worship,  and  obe- 
dience as  taught  by  Noah — a  preacher  and  an  heir  of 
righteousness— and  receiving  no  further  oral,  and  no 
written  revelations,  sinned  against  the  truths  and  obli- 
gations of  natural  religion,  which  were  perpetuated 
amongst  them.  A  sketch  of  their  progress  in  corrup- 
tion and  wickedness  is  given  in  the  first  three  chapters 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Komans.  They  were  without  the 
written  law,  by  which  the  Jew  was  to  be  judged  ;  but 
they  retained  the  oral  law  of  the  natural  system,  or 
enough  of  its  truths  concerning  the  attributes  of  the 
one  true  God,  the  Creator,  providential  ruler,  and  be- 
nefactor, and  concerning  their  own  obligations,  to  ren- 
der their  wickedness  inexcusable.  For  thus  knowing 
God,  "they  glorified  Him  not  as  God,  neither  were 


OF  THE  HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  297 

thankful ;  but  became  vain  in  their  imaginations,  and 
their  foolish  heart  was  darkened.  Professing  them- 
selves to  be  wise,  they  became  fools,  and  changed  the 
glory  of  the  uncorruptible  God  into  an  image  made 
like  to  corruptible  man,  and  to  birds,  and  four-footed 
beasts,  and  creeping  things."  Those  truths  of  the  na- 
tural system  which,  being  unmistakabl y  reechoed  by 
their  constitutional  beliefs,  were  a  law  to  them,  they 
"  held  in  unrighteousness ;"  and  being  not  like  the  Jews 
under  the  written  law,  perished  under  the  law  which 
they  violated.  So  far  as  the  Gentiles  did  in  obedience 
to  the  natural  law,  things  which  are  also  enjoined  in 
the  written  Scriptures,  they  were  a  law  to  themselves. 
(Rom.  2  :  14.)  To  that  extent  they  acted  as  if  the  na- 
tural law — the  truths  of  which  met  to  the  same  extent 
a  corresponding  response  from  their  constitutional  feel- 
ings and  beliefs — were  written  in  their  hearts ;  their 
consciences  consequently  bearing  witness;  their  thoughts 
or  judgments,  on  comparing  the  truths  so  perceived 
and  attested  with  their  actions — accused,  or  else  ex- 
cused the  acts  in  question. 

So  far,  then,  as  relates  to  the  pagan  world,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  man  has  shown  himself  to  be  wholly  incom- 
petent to  invent  or  discover  a  rule  of  acceptable  faith 
and  worship,  or  of  the  practical  virtues  and  duties  of 
life. 

The  same  is  no  less  true  of  all  the  sects  of  Philoso- 
phers who  have  access  to  the  written  Scriptures,  but 
who  reject,  or  labor  to  supersede  them.  That  this  is 
true  of  the  partisans  of  what  is  comprehensively 
termed  the  German  philosophy,  no  man  who  believes 
the  Scriptures,  will  for  a  moment  doubt.  The  leading 
13* 


298  THE  PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

systems  indicated  by  that  general  term,  are  the  The- 
istic,  the  idealistic,  and  the  pantheistic — of  which  the 
latter  is  held  in  several  forms,  differing  more  or  less 
from  each  other.  The  Theist  assumes  the  existence  of 
an  eternal  God,  the  Creator,  existing  independently  of 
His  works  of  creation,  and  holds  more  or  less  the 
truths  of  natural  Theology,  but  rejects  the  Scriptures 
and  all  supernatural  revelations.  The  Idealist  ignores 
an  external  revelation  equally  with  all  other  external 
phenomena.  The  Pantheist  imagines  that  the  universe 
is  God,  or  that  nature  and  man  are  God,  in  so  far  as  He 
is  manifested  as  having  life  and  consciousness.  But 
neither  of  them  teaches  any  system  or  rule  of  faith, 
worship,  or  practical  obedience  ;  much  less  any  thing 
in  advance  of  the  Scriptures  as  a  rule,  or  any  thing 
susceptible  of  practical  observance.  .  On  the  contrary, 
they  are  but  visionary  subtleties  and  delusions,  for  it 
is  notorious  and  of  necessity  that  the  Idealist  acts  and 
speaks  as  though  he  fully  believed  in  the  existence  of 
matter  ;  and  the  Pantheist,  in  equal  antagonism  to  his 
philosophy,  as  though  he  was  a  conscious  person,  dis- 
tinct from  God. 

The  philosophers  of  these  and  other  unscriptural 
systems  discuss  the  subject  of  the  soul,  under  the  name 
of  intellect,  as  though  in  its  nature  it  comprised  nothing 
but  what  is  indicated  by  that  term.  Of  the  intellect 
accordingly  they  predicate  perception,  cogitation,  and 
consciousness,  as  if  those  phenomena  described  and  ex- 
hausted the  powers  of  the  perceiving,  thinking,  and  con- 
scious agent;  or  as  if  the  soul  was  nothing  beyond 
what  those  phenomena  exhibit  it  to  be.  In  their  efforts 
at  abstraction  they  lose  sight  of  the  substance  from 


OF  THE   UOLV   SCBIPTURES.  299 

which  they  abstract,  and  dissever  the  intellect  and  its 
phenomena  from  the  agent  to  which  they  belong ;  as 
a  man  would  describe  a  watch  by  its  exterior  pheno- 
mena, without  taking  cognizance  of  the  main  spring, 
and  its  relations  to  all  the  interior  machinery. 

The  Scriptures  contemplate  and  address  man  as  a 
being,  an  agent,  endowed  not  only  with  the  faculties 
and  powers  of  perceiving,  dunking,  and  being  con- 
scious, but  with  those  which  make  him  a  moral  and 
responsible  agent,  accountable  to  God  as  his  creator, 
lawgiver,  and  benefactor ;  subject  to  His  law  and  to 
His  providence,  susceptible  of  sensations  from  external 
objects,  and  of  emotions  from  mental  perceptions ;  ca- 
pable of  progress  indefinitely  in  the  exercise  of  his 
powers  as  an  agent,  incapable  of  thinking,  feeling,  or 
acting,  in  opposition  to  the  laws  of  his  own  constitu- 
tion, and  destined  to  exist  forever,  as  a  distinct,  acting, 
conscious,  accountable  being. 

These  philosophers,  on  the  other  hand,  contemplate 
man,  either  as  a  phenomenon  with  relations  only  to 
external  nature  and  his  fellow-creatures;  as  a  pheno- 
menon which  includes  in  itself — in  each  individual's  con- 
scious perceptions — all  that  is  meant  by  external  things 
of  whatever  nature  ;  or  as  a  part,  in  common  with  all 
material  and  other  phenomena  of  nature,  of  what  tiny 
call  God.  In  so  far  as  they  are  not  governed  by  ;| 
practical  faith  in  opposition  to  their  speculative  the 
they  arc  but  a  step,  if  so  much,  from  saying,  there  is 
no  God.  Their  systems  followed  out,  subvert  and  ex- 
clude all  religion  and  all  morality.  Mystified  and  I'd 
astray  by  false  and  perverted  thought-,  they  employ 
words  perversely  to  express  what  scarce  one  in  a  mil- 


300  THE   PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

lion  of  the  human  race  can  comprehend.  And  yet,  by 
the  craft  of  Satan  working  in  the  imaginations  and  pas- 
sions of  men,  the  dogmas  which  they  profess  to  educe 
from  their  theories,  are  widely  received,  not  only  by 
the  ignorant  and  reckless,  but  even  by  educated  men, 
ministers  and  others  who  profess  to  hold  in  reverence 
the  oracles  of  the  omniscient  and  infallible  Teacher.  It 
is  between  these  theories,  as  the  loftiest,  acutest,  and 
best  of  mere  human  speculations,  or  these  and  more 
vulgar  and  palpable  forms  of  infidelity,  on  the  one  hand, 
and  the  word  of  God  as  the  rule  of  faith  and  life  on 
the  other,  that  men  are  to  choose,  for  a  guide  in  the 
present  and  the  endless  future  life. 

On  the  questions  of  right  and  wrong,  morality  and 
religion,  faith  and  worship,  life  and  death,  man  needs, 
in  the  most  absolute  sense,  an  infallible  standard.  It  is 
not  enough  that  he  believes  particular  statements,  pro- 
positions, or  doctrines,  and  believes  them  to  be  in  some 
sense  revealed.  To  meet  the  exigencies  of  his  case, 
they  must  be  infallibly  true,  and  if  denied,  it  must  be 
practicable  to  show  that  they  are  of  that  character,  and 
that  they  are  expressly  revealed  and  of  Divine  author- 
ity. When  the  awakened  and  anxious  inquirer  arrives 
at  this  conviction,  nothing  short  of  express  verbal  in- 
spiration will  afford  him  the  satisfaction  and  confi- 
dence which  he  requires.  Then  the  specious  and  de- 
lusive assumption  on  which  many  a  system  of  false 
ethics,  false  logic,  and  false  theology  are  founded,  will 
be  renounced :  the  assumption  namely,  that  language 
being  of  human  device,  is  an  imperfect  vehicle  of  reve- 
lation, and  therefore  being  capable  of  various  and  di- 
verse meanings,  must  be  construed  according  to  the 


OF  THE  HOLY  BGBIPTUBES.  301 

reason,  judgment,  feelings,  or  theory  of  the  expositor. 
Nor  will  the  view  taken  by  the  soundest  of  those  who 
believe  the  Scriptures  to  be  inspired  and  infallible, 
fully  satisfy  the  inquirer:  namely  that — waiving  the 
question  of  mode  in  the  transmission  of  Divine  truths 
and  of  verbally  representing  them  in  writing,  so  far,  at 
Least,  as  concerns  the  choice  of  wordfr—such  an  influ- 
ence was  exerted  on  the  minds  of  the  sacred  penmm,  as  to 
secure  them  from  error.  For  how  could  they  be  perfectly 
secured  from  error,  unless  the  very  words  they  were 
to  write  were  inspired  into  their  minds,  and  unless 
those  words  perfectly  expressed  the  thoughts  which 
were  intended  to  be  revealed  ?  With  these  conditions, 
indeed,  the  claim  of  infallibility  is  irresistible.*  But 
without  them  there  is  room  for  uncertainty.  Some- 
thing is  felt  to  be  wanting.  For  in  the  nature  of  the 
case,  it  was  as  indispensable  that  the  writers  should  be 
infallibly  secured  against  error  in  their  verbal  expres-. 
sion  of  the  truths  revealed,  as  that  they  should  be  so 
secured  against  error  in  their  perception  of  the  truths 
themselves.  If  it  be  possible  to  imagine  an  influence 
which  would  accomplish  this,  without  inspiring  the 
words  with  the  thoughts,  into  the  minds  of  the  Bacred 
writers  in  styles  and  idioms  corresponding  to  their 
habits  of  thought  and  expression,  it  is  nevertheless  in- 
comprehensible and  unsatisfactory.  Nor  does  such  a 
supposition  commend  itself  as  relieving  any  difficulty. 
For  beyond  a  question,  it  would  be  as  easy  to  such  a 
Divine  influence  to  inspire  the  proper  words, 
would  be  infallibly  to  secure  the  writers  error 

in  selecting  them. 

The  necessity  of  a  Divine  Revelation,  and  all  the 


302  THE   PLENARY  INSPIRATION 

ends  to  be  answered  by  the  Scriptures  as  we  have 
them,  authorize  us  to  conclude  that  had  God  dispensed 
with  human  agency  altogether  in  committing  them  to 
writing,  and  written  every  chapter  and  verse  with  His 
own  hand,  as  lie  did  the  Ten  Commandments,  He 
would  have  written  them  on  the  same  occasions,  for 
the  immediate  local  use  of  the  same  parties,  and  there- 
fore in  the  same  styles  and  idioms,  that  He  inspired 
and  caused  them  to  be  written  by  the  Prophets  and 
Apostles.  They  were,  in  the  view  of  His  wisdom,  ne- 
cessary in  successive  portions  on  those  diverse  occa- 
sions, and  therefore  at  divers  times  He  inspired  them 
into  the  minds  of  the  sacred  writers.  To  answer  their 
immediate  purpose,  and  ultimately  their  purpose  to  the 
common  mind  of  the  whole  race,  they  were  necessary 
in  the  styles  and  idioms  in  which  He  inspired  them, 
and  therefore  had  He  written  the  whole  of  them,  He 
.would  have  written  them  in  those  styles  and  idioms. 
Accordingly,  to  the  very  large  extent  that  they  are  a 
verbal  record  of  what  He  spoke,  they  show  that  He 
spoke  them  at  the  times  and  in  the  words,  styles,  and 
idioms,  in  which  He  inspired  and  caused  them  to  be 
written.  The  necessity  and  reasonableness  of  this  view 
of  the  matter  is  apparent  from  the  consideration  that 
the  Scriptures  as  written,  to  be  the  infallible  rule  of 
faith  and  life,  must  be  the  authoritative  word  of  God  ex- 
pressed in  styles  and  idioms  which  men  were  qualified 
to  understand.  A  Divine  Eevelation  to  fulfill  the 
purpose  of  the  Scriptures,  must  of  course  be  made 
in  human  language,  and  in  the  language  of  those  to 
whom  successive  portions  were  addressed,  and,  for  the 
same  reason,  in  the  words,  styles,  and  idioms  with 


OF  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  303 

which  they  were  familiar.  Whether  written  by  the 
instrumentality  of  men,  or  immediately  by  the  finger 
of  God,  could  therefore  make  no  difference  in  these 
respects.  And  to  have  specifically  the  m<  mil  inlluencc 
and  effect  which  the  Scriptures,  as  the  infallible  rule  of 
faith  and  life,  must  be  assumed  to  be  designed  to  have, 
they  must,  however  written,  be,  in  respect  to  language, 
style,  and  every  other  particular,  precisely  what  they 
are.  For,  as  they  actually  arc,  they  are  perfectly 
adapted  to  have  precisely  that  kind  and  degree  of 
moral  influence  and  effect  which  they  were  designed  to 
have  upon  the  minds  of  those  who  read  them — thos  i 
who  read  them  carelessly  and  at  random,  those  who 
read,  study,  and  meditate  them  seriously  and  devoutly, 
those  who  have  the  least  and  those  who  have  hi 
and  the  highest  advantages  of  literary  education,  those 
in  every  stage  and  condition  of  life — in  prosperity  and 
adversity,  in  health  and  sickness,  joy  and  sorrow,  soli- 
tude and  society,  under  salutary  external  influences  and 
the  contrary.  Of  every  individual  of  all  classes  of 
men  from  age  to  age,  who  read  and  hear  the  Scriptures, 
the  moral  character  and  destiny  are  to  be  determined 
by  their  conformity  or  non-conformity  to  what  the 
Scriptures  teach  and  enjoin.  The  moral  quality  of 
their  dispositions  and  their  actions,  their  faith  and  life, 
is  to  be  decided  by  comparison  with  the  written  word. 
Now  if,  as  they  are  actually  written,  they  are  perfectly 
adapted  to  produce  such  results  upon  all  classes  and 
conditions  of  men,  under  an  omniscient  administration 
of  perfect  rectitude,  then  the  ends  to  be  answered  re- 
quire them  to  be  precisely  as  they  are  in  respect  to 
language,  style,  and  idiom,  as  well  as  with  respe 


304  THE  PLENARY   INSPIRATION 

the  thoughts  which  they  convey.  Had  they  been  dif- 
ferent from  what  they  are  in  any  of  those  particulars,  it 
is  apparent  that  they  would  not  have  been  adapted  and 
adequate  to  produce  all  the  influences  and  effects,  un- 
der all  circumstances,  upon  all  classes  and  conditions 
of  men,  that  they,  as  actually  written,  are  designed 
and  fitted  to  produce. 

Had  they  been  written  in  other  than  the  identical 
words  of  the  original  text ;  had  the  words  been  col- 
located differently ;  had  the  styles  and  idioms  been  dif- 
ferent ;  had  they  been  otherwise  composed  than  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  ordinary  laws  and  usage  of  human 
language ;  had  they  excluded  the  figurative  use  of 
words  ;  had  any  portion  of  them  been  omitted,  or  any 
thing  additional  been  included  in  them,  it  is  an  obvious 
and  just  conclusion,  that  they  would  not  on  the  various 
descriptions  of  readers,  or  on  any  reader,  have  pro- 
duced, perfectly  and  exclusively,  the  same  effects, 
which,  as  actually  writteu,  they  are  designed  and 
adapted  to  produce. 

The  force  of  these  considerations  is  not  inferior  to 
that  of  any  other  considerations  touching  the  matter  or 
manner  of  a  Divine  Kevelation  and  infallible  rule  of 
faith  and  life  ;  nor  are  they  less  vital  to  what  most  ob- 
viously pertains  to  free  agency  in  men,  to  moral  law 
and  government,  moral  influence,  moral  actions,  and 
moral  responsibilities  and  retributions.  Whoever  con- 
siders the  normal  condition  of  the  soul  of  every  indi- 
vidual of  the  fallen  race — its  capacities  and  suscepti- 
bilities, its  necessities  and  propensities,  its  relations  and 
its  obligations ;  and  considers  the  necessary  tendency 
and  effect  on  the  sentiments,  feelings,  and  emotions, 


OP  THE   HOLY  SCRIPTURES.  805 

perceptions,  volitions,  and  acts,  of  every  instrument  of 
moral  influence,  of  every  thought,  every  word,  e 
sensation,  of  reflection,  consciousness,  and  memory,  of 
error,  prejudice,  and  passion,  of  ignorance,  bad  example, 
and  bad  habit,  perverseness  of  will,  obstinacy,  and  i 
lessness — will  perceive  the  force  of  these  considerations 
as  clearly  as  he  can  perceive  the  effects  of  good  and  bad 
moral  influences  in  forming  the  actual  characters  of 
different  men  as  they  advance  in  life.  And  if  the 
Scriptures  are  the  occasions  and  instruments  of  moral 
influence,  and  the  tests  of  moral  character  and  d 
then  it  is  necessary  to  suppose  that  the  infinite  wisdom 
and  rectitude  of  the  Creator  and  moral  Governor  of 
men,  prescribed  in  every  respect,  and  every  jot  und 
tittle,  the  matter  and  manner  of  what  they  contain.  11' 
they  are  His  rule  of  governing  and  judging  men,  His 
perfections  require  that  they  should  be  what  the)'  are — 
His  word,  given  by  Ilis  inspiration — an  infallible  rule 
of  faith  and  life. 


It  is  the  author's  purpose,  should  there  appear  to  be 
occasion,  to  add  to  this  another  volume,  to  contain 
further  elucidations  of  the  leading  and  of  some  subor- 
dinate topics,  and  a  notice  of  the  recent  work  of  Pro- 
fessor Lee,  of  Dublin,  on  The  Inspiration  of  Holy 
Scripture. 


INDEX. 


Analogy  between  conceiving  thoughts  by  means  of  words,  and 

seeing  objects  by  means  of  light,  hearing  by  means  of  sound, 
etc.,  53,  54,  61,  62,  93,  94,  etc. 
Apostles,  peculiarity  of  their  office,  107. 

B 

Beliefs,  our  primary,  192,  197,  203-209. 
Bearings  of  the  discussion  on  education,  211-217,  228-231. 
Bible,  the  leading  truths  of,  imply  their  inspiration,  242. 
Bible,  our  English  version  of,  235. 

C 

Confusion  of  tongues — its  nature  and  results,  72. 

Consciousness,  191,  192,  etc. 

Collocation  of  the  words  of  the  inspired  Scriptures,  26,  37,  112, 

256,  366,  367,  270,  271. 
Climates,  effect  of,  on  language,  73. 
Causes,  of  second,  205. 

D 

Dispersion  of  mankind,  effects  of  climate  on  language,  72. 
Dick  quoted,  43. 

E 

Ecclesiastes,  the  book  of,  its  plan  and  design,  352-366. 

Error,  speculative,  leading  forms  of,  298. 

Etymology,  not  a  test  of  the  present  us*  and  meaning  "I"  words, 

198. 
Education,  bearings  of  the  treatise  on,  211-217,  838-381. 
Krnesti,  quoted,  378,  274. 


308  INDEX. 


Figurative  use  of  words,  177-184. 

Fallacies  respecting  language,  198-200. 

Faith,  the  foundation  of,  the  testimony  of  God,  243. 

,  the  Scriptures  infallible  rule  of,  246. 

,  true,  founded  on  the  words  of  God,  243,  244; 

G 

German  critics  and  commentators,  249. 

,  philosophy,  theistic,  idealistic,  and  pantheistic,  297-300. 

H 

Harris  (Hermes)  Monboddo,  Astle,  etc.,  quoted  as  to  origin  of 
language,  79. 

I 

Inspiration,  different  degrees  of,  as  generally  imagined,  11, 43,  44. 

,  defined,  17,  18,  52,  54,  246,  264,  265. 

,  meaning  of  the  term,  20,  53. 

,  affirmed  of  what  is  written,  not  of  the  sacred  writers,  18, 

21,  42. 

,  mode  of  the  divine  act  of,  not  known,  19. 

,  effect  of,  the  conveyance  of  thoughts  in  words,  1 9-22. 

,  suspended  no  law,  faculty,  or  function  of  the  mind,  21, 

23,  38,  39. 

,  not  a  proper  miracle,  47. 

,  supernatural  and  Divine,  48. 

,  nature  and  reality  of,  illustrated  by  references  to  the 

Scriptures,  86-92,  97,  98. 

,  of  the  words  of  Scripture,  taught  by  them,  95-134. 

,  of  the  styles  and  idioms  of  Scripture,  18,  98,  99-105. 

,  false  theory  concerning,  284-287. 


Language,  man  not  the  inventor  of,  44,  69-72,  79. 

,  theory  that  it  was  invented  by  man  examined,  69-85. 

,  a  primeval  gift,  45,  69,  79. 


INDEX.  301* 

Language,  vocal  and  written,  conceived  and  expressed  in  words 
and  signs  in  a  variety  of  ways,  68-61. 

,  Hebrew,  the  primitive,  70,  74-78,  84. 

,  its  imperfection  and  uncertainty,  not  a  result  of  its  na- 
ture, but  of  ignorance,  prejudice,  and  perversion,  L4&-149, 
162-189. 

,  false  theories  of,  that  words  represent  things  instead  of 

thoughts,  44,  185-201. 

,  perversions  of,  217-231. 

,  actually  conveys  the  thoughts  of  one  mind  to  another, 

159-1G9. 

,  of  the  Scriptures,  that  of  common-sense,  2G3. 


Law  of  men's  nature  to  think  in  words,  20-24. 
Locke,  quoted,  142,  190,  199. 

M 

Messiah,  the,  the  great  Revcalcr,  114-129. 

Macknight,  quoted,  146. 

Metaphysics,  202. 

Miracle,  a  proper,  both  super-natural  and  coH^/vi-natural,  47. 

Monboddo,  referred  to,  79. 

Morell,  quoted,  43. 

N 

Natural  Religion,  not  discovered  by  man,  82-84. 


Objects  of  the  present  discussion,  45,  46. 
Observations,  concluding,  240-305. 


Pritchard,  quoted  to  show  that  the  Hebrew  was   the  primitive 

language,  74. 
Perversions  of  language,  217-231. 
Primary  beliefs,  192-195,  199-201,  203-210. 


310  INDEX. 


R 


Revelation,  signification  of  the  term,  54—57. 

,  distinction  between,  and  inspiration,  irrelevant  to  the 

nature  of  inspiration,  11. 

Revealer,  the  Mediator,  Malach  Jehovah,  115-129. 

,  his  personal  appearance  and  intercourse  with  the  patri- 
archs and  Moses,  and  the  apostles,  115-117. 

,  his  verbal  communications  with  Joshua,  the  prophets, 

etc.,  119-129. 

S 

Scriptures,  the,  the  contents,  vehicle,  and  implications  of,  13-17. 

,  the  words  of,  not  selected  after  the  thoughts  were  in- 
spired, 26-28,  35,  39. 

,  the  words  of,  not  selected  by  men  under  guidance,  40,  41. 

,  the  term  signifies  all  that  is  written  in  the  sacred  vol- 
ume, 48. 

,  the  leading  truths  of,  imply  their  inspiration,  242. 

,  purpose  and  plan  of  their  Divine  author,  49,  132. 

,  superiority  of,  to  human  compositions,  240. 

,  objects  to  be  answered  by,  241,  242. 

,  what  is  meant  by  the  claim  that  they  are  the  word  of 

God,  50,  51. 

,  a  testimony  to  be  believed,  231,  232,  247. 

,  the  English  version  of,  235-239. 

,  reading  of,  in  public  worship,  233,  234. 

,  the  leading  truths  of,  imply  their  verbal  inspiration,  242. 

,  contemplate  man  as  a  fallen  creature,  244. 

,  the  infallible  rule  of  faith,  246,  267,  291. 

•,  inspired  and  written  as  occasions  required,  250. 

,  to  be  the  instruments  of  specific  results,  250,  251. 

•,  idioms  and  styles  of,  adapted  to  all  mankind,  99-109,  251. 

,  medium  of  moral  influence  on  all  who  read  them,  and 

adapted  to  all  mankind,  250,  251,  303-305. 

,  popular  objections  to,  39,  260,  262. 

,  faith  founded  on  the  words  of,  243. 

,  language  of,  that  of  common-sense,  263. 


INDEX.  311 

Scriptures,  contain  all  that  the  Divine  wisdom  permitted  and  in- 
spired, 13-15,  49,  207. 

,  a  perfect  rule  of  faith  and  life,  246,  295,  298. 

Stewart,  Mr.  Dugald,  quoted,  165,  157,  158. 
Soul,  the,  tta  capacities,  eta,  196,907-809. 
Saxon  words  in  our  version,  221,  222. 


Thoughts,  that  by  a  law  of  our  nature,  we  conceive  intellectually, 
receive  from  others,  are  conscious  of,  remember  and  express 
thoughts  only  in  words  and  equivalent  signs,  22 — illustrated, 
23-31,  34,  etc. 

,  conceived  and  expressed  in  words  and  signs,  in  several 

ways,  58-61. 

,  remembered  only  in  words,  29-31,  65,  173-176. 

,  realised  to  our  consciousness  only  in  words,  67,  etc. 

,  inspired  in  words,  23,  33,  etc. 

,  conceived  and  remembered  only  in  words,  20-32,  etc. 

Translations,  requisites  of,  and  why  reliable,  216,  217,  298,  270- 
272,  288. 

Types,  nature  and  office  of,  170-172. 

,  signify  and  represent  truths  already  known,  172. 

,  of  divine  appointment,  172. 


Version  of  the  Scriptures,  the  English,  235. 

,  why  not  susceptible  of  improvement,  222,  236. 

W 

"Words,  the  instrument,  medium,  representative  of  thought-,  29, 
23,  35,  53. 

,  inspired  and  spoken  by  the  Spirit,  28,  86,  B6,  96-98, 

110-112. 

,  inspired  in  due  connection  and  relation,  1 1 1-1 18. 

,  inspired,  infallible,  131-134. 

,  the  previous  knowledge  of,  necessary  to  thinking  86,  64, 

66,  etc. 


312  INDEX. 

Words,  the  study  of,  the  study  of  our  intellectual  and  moral  be- 
ing, 259. 

,  a  due  collocation  of,  necessary  to  the  exact  expression  of 

thoughts,  20,  37,  112,  255,  256,  267,  270,  271. 

,  not  signs  of  things,  but  vehicles  and  representatives  of 

thoughts,  44. 

,  inspiration  of,  implied,  250. 

,  necessarily  and  perfectly  express  the  thoughts  conceived 

in  them,  45,  67,  135-169. 

,  the  exact  meaning  of,  determined  by  the  collocation, 

273-275. 

,  of  Scripture  not  selected  by  man,  40,  41,  256. 

,  figurative  use  of,  177-184. 


-,  represent  thoughts,  not  things,  185-201. 
-,  perversions  of,  217-231. 


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